Troops heading home for holidays

Troops heading home for holidays

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ATLANTA -

If you happen to venture to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport over the next couple of days, you're sure to see a lot of camouflage. Thousands of servicemen and women are taking advantage of Holiday Block Leave.

Holiday Block Leave is the time during the holidays when servicemen and women go home for rest and relaxation. Buses pulled in by the droves, and after getting a proper Christmas greeting with a candy cane, they were processed and free to go.

"We have 4,500 military passengers checking in and the first bus arrived at 2:30 this morning. And we are processing it through Delta check-in and getting them home for friends and family," said Perry Venturo of Delta Air Lines.

Some friends and family could not wait to see their loved ones.

"I could not recognize him with the haircut and the way he was walking tall," said the father of one soldier, Mike Vickers.

The USO office at the airport is the place some soldiers go to get something to eat and kick up their feet and relax before they catch their flight home. Many said they couldn't wait to get home.

David Smith of the U.S. Army told FOX 5 his sister picked him up in Atlanta. He said he didn't have to worry about a flight and he could get home faster.

Most the young soldiers have not been in the Army more than a couple months, but they are missing home and know what they will do when they get there – eat and sleep. While the Army does feed them, there's nothing like a good, home cooked meal.

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