N. Texas Residents Welcome Service Members At DFW For Holidays
DFW AIRPORT (CBSDFW.COM) –Heartfelt hugs and endearing smiles filled Terminal D at DFW International Airport Monday evening as droves of residents welcomed home 240 service members for the holidays.
It was a joyous, hero's welcome, fitting for the festive holiday. A sea of faces, flags and well wishes ushered in our nation's military men and women, fresh off a flight from Afghanistan and Iraq.
But perhaps no one in the crowd was more eager to embrace her soldier than Richelle Costa.
"I'm anxious, I'm nervous, I'm really excited," Costa said. "I really just want to see him come through those doors."
It's been a long time since Richelle has seen her husband, Anthony. The Private First Class has been serving in Kuwait for the past six months. The young couple, who started off as high school friends in Arizona, are now newlyweds living in Fort Hood. Today, they are very expectant parents.
"I'm due on Saturday," Richelle said. "I was only four months pregnant when he left, and now I have a big ole belly."
So, after an unexpected weather delay – and hours of patient waiting – Richelle's long-awaited reunion finally came.
"There he is! Look! He's right here," she said, pointing at her husband in the crowd.
Her soldier is home for the holiday and for the birth of their first child.
"That last hour just felt like an eternity," Private First Class Anthony Costa said. "I was just going through lines after lines. I just wanted to go home. My wife was like 100 yards away."
PFC Costa says he's already received his first marching orders during his time home: He's responsible for assembling his son's crib.
"I'm just really glad to be home," Anthony said. "I get to see my baby be born and I get to see my wife."
