Everything Has Changed (Completed)

DailyPost

It was a happy reunion Monday night as the country welcomed back over a dozen soldiers who had been long ago declared MIA while serving in Afghanistan.

The team had been stationed in a small town in central Afghanistan for nearly eight months when the base was discovered and bombed. Fortunately for the soldiers, they had been away from the town, helping to relocate some innocent civilians to a safe zone when the bombing occurred. Unable to return back to camp, they were forced to find somewhere else to stay.

According to the official military report that was released yesterday, the group of soldiers traveled to a small village in Pakistan, where they found local families that were willing to give them aid. They were kept hidden for the many years, hidden under floor boards or in secret spaces. The families–whose names were not released for safety reasons–gave the soldiers the food, shelter, and safety they needed to survive.

Once it was deemed safe for the soldiers, the people of the village found a way to send a message to the army, informing them of the location of the missing soldiers.

Of the 14 soldiers that arrived in that Pakistan village over four years ago, all of them returned to the United States alive, and all soldiers are currently undergoing medical evaluations in a New York hospital.

"It's incredible," said Lt. Georges. "It's a miracle, really. Things like this never happen, but everyone here is thankful that it did, especially the families of the soldiers."

"I'm forever in debt to these people," reported Natalie Wilson, wife of one of the soldiers rescued from Pakistan, Mark Wilson. "They saved my husband's life, and there is nothing I could do that would ever make up for that. The last four years have been horrible, and I can't wait for us to return home."

Due to the mental trauma they were put through, none of the soldiers were available for comment, but Lt. George assured that all the soldiers are happy to be home, but will need to undergo physical and mental therapy to bring them back to complete health.

"You don't get out of something like that completely unscathed," said the Lieutenant. "Even if their physical scars are limited, it takes an extreme amount of mental strength to survive something like that, and I'm sure they will all deal with some form of PTSD."

Further information will be released soon as to the conditions of the soldiers and future fundraising events to help the families of the soldiers afford the rehabilitation their family members need.

The pictures below were taken by DailyPost photographer Michael Sutter in New York where the soldiers were reunited with their families.

Caption: Soldier Ameryl Jackson returns to see her eight-year-old son, Thomas. He had not seen her since he was four, but easily picked her out of the crowd and ran to her arms.

Caption: Six-year-old Mariah Allen is seen embracing with her father, Jason Allen. Jason had been serving for five years and cried after seeing his daughter and wife.

Caption: It was a teary scene for both seventeen-year-old Cassie Rella and her father Johnathan Rella as they reunited in New York. It had been a hard few years for her and her mother, but the Rella's are now reunited.

Caption: Teenager Marty David is seen in an emotional moment as she embraces her father for the first time in years. She was quickly joined by her mother, Catherine, and her little brother, Kyle.

Caption: Martin Turner embraced his wife Adrianna Turner and daughter Emily, who's birth he had missed. He had never seen his daughter before, and it was an emotional moment for the young family.