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The way home

FIRST OF FOUR PARTS

Keeping it together

Cari Collins rests and lets her daughters read to one another before bedtime recently in their Wasilla home. With her husband, Capt. Brian Collins, deployed to Iraq, Cari has been the sole caretaker for four daughters.

There's no smell of coffee first thing in the morning, no man-size shoes on the mat by the door, no one to sleep on the other side of Cari Collins bed. Her husband, Brian Collins, a captain in Iraq, has been deployed for more than a year.

SECOND OF FOUR PARTS

Anchored in faith

Lauren Bretz holds her son Peter, 2, while she prays with a friend. Lauren says her faith has helped her handle the yearlong deployment of her husband, Army Capt. Nat Bretz.

Long before dawn, before her children stir, when darkness still fills the windows on Fort Richardson, Lauren Bretz wakes to pray:Protect the children, keep them healthy and cheerful. Make her a better mother and a better wife. Keep Nat safe in Iraq, bring

THIRD OF FOUR PARTS

Talk about stress

Vicki Bell had a sign printed to welcome her husband, David, home. The couple have two kids, Chayse, 10, and Gavin, 7.

Fort Richardson, where every housing unit has a name, there's a sign out front of a faded block of apartments that reads, "Welcome to Independence. Mayor: Vicki Bell."

FOURTH OF FOUR PARTS

Counting the days

Colleen Mihalic says her co-workers and family were concerned about how depressed she became after her husband was deployed to Iraq.

For a while it seemed the calls came every day: soldiers injured, soldiers killed, soldiers injured, soldiers killed. Colleen Mihalic looked at the caller ID in her Eagle River living room and debated whether to quit answering the phone.

AUDIO SLIDESHOW

Crystal Becker says goodbye

War widow, Becker family

Crystal Becker's mind goes back to the moment before she saw the soldiers in dress uniform on her front porch. Her daughter Cierra, 7, hunched over a school project. Cheyenna, her 5-week-old baby, dozed in a swing.

Cari Collins: Keeping it together

Cari Collins offers a glimpse into her life raising four daughters alone while her husband serves in Iraq, and what his return will mean.

Lauren Bretz: Anchored in faith

For Lauren Bretz, strength to handle her husband's yearlong deployment came from her faith.

Vicki Bell: Talk about stress

Vicki Bell gives insight into the unique challenges of military matrimony others" and her own.

Colleen Mihalic: Counting the days

Colleen Mihalic recounts her journey through isolation and sadness and finally welcomes her husband home.

Back from Kosovo

Bill Roth / Anchorage Daily NewsAlaska Army National Guard soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, were reunited with friends and family at the Alaska National Guard armory at Camp Denali on Fort Richardson on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, after a year-long deployment were they supported peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions in Kosovo.

Alaska Army National Guard soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, were reunited with friends and family at the Alaska National Guard armory at Camp Denali on Fort Richardson on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, after a year-long deployment where they supported peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions in Kosovo.

Obama at Elmendorf Air Force Base

President Barack Obama walks down the stairs of Air Force One during his arrival at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009.

President Barack Obama spoke to a hanger full of airman and soldiers at Elmendorf Air Force Base Thursday afternoon, November 12, 2009.

SLIDE SHOW

Solemn ceremonies mark Veterans Day in Anchorage

Brianna Bundick-Kelly lays a wreath at the Veterans and Remembrance Day ceremony Nov. 11, 2009.

Brianna Bundick-Kelly lays a wreath on behalf of VFW Post 9978 and Ladies Auxiliary at the Veterans and Remembrance Day ceremony Wednesday at the Alaska National Guard Armory on Fort Richardson.

Mourning Fort Hood Victims

Soldiers Cross, honoring those who lost their lives in last week's shooting, is seen near the podium where President Barack Obama will speak at the memorial service, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009, at Fort Hood, Texas.

A memorial service was held at Fort Hood, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009, for the victims of the mass shooting Nov. 5. Thousands of people, many of them soldiers dressed in camouflage, gathered to pay their respects and hear President Barack Obama. He used his public remarks to put a human face on those who perished, victims ranging in age from 19 to 62.

Funeral for Marine Cpl. Gregory Fleury

A Marine presents a rose to Donna Fleury-Brown, mother of Cpl. Gregory Fleury. The funeral service for Marine Cpl. Gregory M. W. Fleury was held on Friday afternoon, November 6, 2009, at First Baptist Church in Anchorage. Fleury died while serving in the Afghanistan province of Helman when two helicopters collided on October 26.

A funeral service for Marine Cpl. Gregory M. W. Fleury was held on Friday afternoon, November 6, 2009, at First Baptist Church in Anchorage. Fleury died while serving in the Afghanistan province of Helman when two helicopters collided on October 26.

Tragedy at Fort Hood

A swat team enters the main gate at Fort Hood, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. A soldier opened fire at a U.S. Army base in Fort Hood, unleashing a stream of gunfire that left 12 people dead and 31 wounded. Authorities killed the gunman, and apprehended two other soldiers suspected in what appears to be the worst mass shooting at a U.S. military base.

A military mental health doctor facing deployment overseas opened fire at the Fort Hood Army base on Thursday, setting off on a rampage that killed 11 other people and left 31 wounded.

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