For Rod Thompson and his family, this Thanksgiving holiday doubled as a reunion.
Rod Thompson and his wife Towana Thompson, both in the military, have been deployed all year, away from their two young children Reina and Amare.
"It was hard," Towana Thompson said. "When you get married and start your family you have this vision and you don't really get to live it out."
Both parents have resigned themselves to what they call their new normal - being away for birthdays and holidays, and sometimes gone for extended periods.
Towana Thompson spent the year on a security detail at Guantanamo Bay military prison. Rod Thompson has been working communications in Kabul, Afghanistan.
"This is definitely better, I'm glad to be home," Rod Thompson said.
Two weeks ago Towana Thompson shocked her kids when she returned from Guantanamo and surprised them at a school event.
While both parents were deployed Towana Thompson's mother Cheryl Johnson stepped up and became head of the household.
Thursday she traded that title in for head cook, preparing a turkey dinner for her daughter's family and about ten other relatives.
The Thompsons soaked up their holiday, because it ended quickly. Their orders are taking them to Fort Hood, Texas. They started driving west Thursday night.
"Being a military spouse and being a part of the military myself, you kind of grow to understand what you have to accept and what is your normal," Towana Thompson said.
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