Soldier's Homecoming Is The Perfect Christmas Gift

Ernest Jose Santana gave his family the ultimate present this Christmas when he arrived at Tampa International Airport on Thursday.

Santana, a specialist in the Army, returned to Tampa after serving 15 months in Iraq. He was welcomed by a small crowd of cheering family and friends carrying signs bearing his name and waving miniature American flags.

The 24-year-old, dressed in Army fatigues and boots, bear-hugged his mother, Wanda Velazquez, moments after he stepped foot into the airport waiting area. Holiday travelers stopped to watch the commotion.

"I don't need anything else for Christmas," said the teary-eyed Velazquez, 44, of Tampa. "He's a good son, brother and uncle, and has a big heart. I am proud because he is my son. It was his decision [to join] and you have to respect their decision and give thanks to them."

It had been more than 20 months since the last time the family saw him. Santana served as a military intelligence analyst with the 1st Armored Division based in Germany before being deployed to Iraq.

"It feels great, all you can think about [there] is being home with your family," said Santana, adding that first on his list of things to do was drink a few Red Bull energy drinks. "To the families here, you're number one on their minds. It's morbid over there and every little bit helps like the calls, care packages, the phone cards."

The reunion was well over due and a blessing to have his son home safe and sound, said his father, Ernest Santana.

"This is my Christmas present. I'm going crazy. I'm trying to hold back my tears," said the elder Santana, of Bradenton. "I think of the other soldiers who are not home and my heart is with them. I'm just so excited to see my boy."

Santana graduated from Gaither High School in 2003 and enlisted in the Army in 2005. His father pushed for college, but Santana had his sights on the military.

"I supported him," said his father, 52, a retired Army recruiter who served 28 years in the military. "I wanted it to be his choice. I didn't want to be the one to say 'no' and then have it come back and bite me."

While in Iraq, Santana called home two to three times a month; still, the stress of his deployment was hard on the family.

"I couldn't watch the news. Anytime I heard anything, my heart would break into pieces," said Velazquez. "Its really hard with a son in Iraq, you have to expect whatever could happen."

His sister, Jennifer, who made her way through the crowd to hug Santana, stayed in touch with her big brother online via MySpace.

"I didn't agree with it [enlisting] at first, but then I backed him up. He's doing a good thing," said Jennifer Santana, 21. "They're [soldiers] brave and I don't have the guts to do what he does."

Santana's social calendar is filling up fast for the two weeks he's in town. He's been invited to attend a Tampa Bay Lightning game with an opportunity to meet the players, and he will do the coin toss at the beginning of the game Sunday between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders.

Ernest Santana said he plans to spend as much time as possible with his son and he can't wait to see the changes in him.

"He was a spoiled little mama's boy, but not anymore," his father said and laughed. "I just want to feel him out and see how he's changed. I'm going to let him do his thing, but I want to monitor him and make sure he's OK."

Santana has another two years left in the Army. He will head to Hawaii and Iraq following his stay in Tampa.

The military, he said, is "a family tradition, and I love America, I really do," he said. "I saw those guys every day and they're incredible and I'm glad to be a part of that."