LAKE PARK, Fla — It was an emotional day for US Army Reservists who were reunited with their loved ones after spending a year in the Middle East.
“Honestly, it feels like I’m about to burst, you try for so long to stick it through every single day, you know, here we are 300 days later and i just feel so happy,” said Marcella Vurro, who's fiancé Tyler Camus is in the army reserve.
The Camus family was planning a wedding when they learned of Tyler’s deployment.
“It’s been a lot, it was a roller coaster so [we] got engaged and just had to put everything on hold, but she’s been strong and she’s been putting a lot together since I’ve been gone,” said Camus.
Camus is among many men and women who had to put their life on pause in order to serve their country and make their family proud.
Camus' mother, Donna Irwin said, “these are reservists, they have families and they have jobs and they have friends and they’ve had to leave everything for one year. They’re very dedicated to their service and they’re very dedicated to their communities.”
For the Ayala family it meant saying goodbye during a pregnancy.
New mom Amanda Ayala said, “she has a lot of firsts in the first year and so he missed three months of that and so it’s just exciting to have him home again.”
Amanda Ayala's husband Jimmy Ayala only returned to the U.S. for the first two weeks of his daughter’s life. Today, he got to hold his now three month old in his arms.
“It means a lot for me, we found out Amanda was pregnant after i had accepted the orders to go out into the middle east," said Jimmy Ayala. "It’s a blessing and it has its challenges for sure but it will set you up well for your family."
All of the soldiers are now gearing up for what’s next of civilian life.
"Spending time together, spending time with family,” said Tyler Camus.
