JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- In the early morning hours of Dec. 23, 2009, in a small, dimmed private room, a young Airman's life changed forever.
Although he had been awake through the night, the look of eager anticipation on his face suggested otherwise. He sat, smiling from ear-to-ear, eyes glued to the real-time image of his wife on the computer monitor. He was thousands of miles away, but he was completely overjoyed.
Staff Sgt.
