I flew out of Chattanooga at 2:46 this afternoon. The airport security guy opened the bag I was checking to screen it for explosives. He saw the destination tag and said: "Looks like you have a long day ahead of you."
"Yeah. How about you?"
"I get off at 6:30."
"That's good. Only a few more hours."
"It's better than last year, that's for sure."
"What. Did you work longer last Christmas?"
"I was in Afghanistan."
Heart sinking: "Oh. How long were you there?"
"One year. 364 days. I made it back. But 4 guys in our group didn't."
"I'm glad you made it back."
"Yep. They may have gotten 4 of ours, but we got lots more of theirs."
As I'm backing away he calls out: "Merry Christmas!"
