Superior Soldier Returns Home

DULUTH- For members of the military being deployed at this time of year can be particularly tough and a Superior U.S. Army Reserve Soldier gave the greatest gift he could to his family by coming home.The family of Josh Halonen had an emotional reunion Friday, November 14th."I knew there'd be a few people here but I had no idea it would be this kind of an outing or this many people coming out.  So, this is really awesome," said Lt. Josh Halonen.Halonen spent nearly a year in Afghanistan and as soon as he came home, his wife could not wait to welcome him."I just want to hug him," wife, Johanna Halonen said.Seeing the joy on their faces one by one was truly magical.Lt. Halonen said, "It's so great to be able to see everybody and say "Hi" and get hugs and just catch up with everybody."His experience, like any soldier, had both pros and cons."It was good overall. I learned a lot about myself and I learned a lot about us.  And, Afghanistan sucked."Wife, Johanna, say's it was a long and hard year."At the end of the day, you just want to talk to somebody and it's hard going home every day to an empty house," Johanna said.But, friends and family helped her power through. "I know that if something happens, you can have someone there to count on," Johanna said.Josh plans to take a couple weeks off and enjoy time with his wife before he gets back to work."Go on a cruise in Hawaii," Josh said.Josh told Fox 21 the second thing he wanted to do is eat at Panera.Thank you for your service Josh.