More than one-hundred soldiers reunited with their families during Fort Carson homecoming

Nine months, that’s how long husbands, wife’s and kids have waited to see their loved ones who were deployed to Afghanistan face to face.

They all packed into the stands at the William “Bill” Reed special events center at Fort Carson waiting for that long awaited moment. Holding flowers and carrying signs for their soldiers to see.

Like Allison Markham and her two kids. “We’re waiting for daddy for my husband to come home,” Markham says. This is her husbands seventh deployment but first homecoming.

Markham says, “This is going to be fun I think and it’s going to be hard to wait while they do their brief.”

Then after an hour of waiting the moment finally came. The families cheering as the more than 150 soldiers walked in. Pointing them out in the sea of green to their kids.

Soldiers showing very little emotion as they walk in single file line despite knowing their loved ones are just on the other side of the building.

Then after a quick briefing both sides ran into the middle of the room to greet each other with open arms.

Allison and her children quickly finding her husband Major Reed Markham in the crowd.

“I’m just thrilled to be home this is just awesome to be back with the family the kids are massive I don’t know what happened, but they got huge,” said Major Markham holding both his kids.

Emotional reunions happening all around. Some like Staff Sergeant Philip Gardner able to hold back tears. “I’m happy, just happy I’m with my kids this is the first time I’ve come back from deployment and I have not cried,” Gardner says laughing, “I don’t know I’m just being tough I guess.”

Others like Major Kimberly Osorio-Torres overwhelmed with seeing her kids. Osorio-Torres telling us, “I’m so happy i just missed them so much.”

Adding that the main mission now is to spend time with each other before they have to be deployed again.