He waited his entire life for this moment. But when it came, he couldn't help but fall asleep.
But it was no matter as Sgt. Maj. Kevin Patterson studied the face of his sleeping one-week-old son as he held him for the first time.
Then came his tears.
"It's a lot to take in. I'm just excited to meet him," Patterson said, not taking his eyes off Logan Grey. "He's absolutely precious in every way."
Patterson was one of some 200 soldiers with the Fort Campbell-based 101st Airborne Division, 2nd Battalion and 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment who returned early Monday morning from assignments in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The soldiers provided around-the-clock coverage from rocket, artillery and mortar for military sites and critical assets stationed in the Middle East.
"They did a fantastic job intercepting anything before it could make its way to base." said Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Ryan Schrock. "They exceeded mission requirement."
"They've done everything the Army has asked of them," Brig. Gen. K. Todd Royar said in a quick 3 a.m. ceremony. "They made the mission happen. They got it done and the results were impressive."
"All of us here are so proud of them just like we know you are," he said, addressing the contingent of family and supporters welcoming the soldiers home. "And with that...we'll give them back to you."
Emma Jones jumped up and down, cheering when she spotted her granddaughter Pfc. MílJeanne Cowley.
"I thought I was going to miss this," Jones said.
The homecoming, initially set to happen Friday, had been delayed several times due to weather. Jones and several of her family members had come in from New Orleans and extended their hotel stay, hoping that Cowley would make it home for Thanksgiving.
"I have to leave tomorrow so I'm glad to say, 'You finally made it. We missed you so much,'" she said.
The tears that she had tried to hold back earlier, now flowed freely as she embraced her granddaughter.
Piper Cassetto waited to greet her girlfriend Specialist Blaire Sullivan. She proudly showed off her homemade sign.
Yes, we brought your rash cream.
"I mean, no one likes a rash," Cassetto said, laughing. "Only kidding. But it shows that we care about her in our own way."
Sullivan's mother, Michelle Lawrence, joined in on the joke. Though it seemed like they've known each other for a long time, the two had just met 15 minutes ago for the first time, she said.
"We helped each other stay positive throughout this," Lawrence said.
It was especially challenging, she said, as it was her 20-year-old daughter's first deployment.
Lawrence and Cassetto leaned on each other and put together packages with the help of Lawrence's church. They stayed in touch with Sullivan nearly "twice a day, every day," and agreed that technology and social media helped the time go by quicker.
It was how the couple dated, Piper said, explaining that she had met Sullivan just three months before she deployed.
"I'm glad she stuck it through," Lawrence said, flashing Cassetto a grin.
"Me too."
Patterson bee lined for his wife, Elizabeth Patterson, and gave her a kiss before he took his son from his mother's arms and held him up eye-level. He pushed back the grey blanked from the newborn's face and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead.
His wife had broken the news to him in a series of videos when she discovered that she was pregnant just after he deployed.
And when he was born, "he wouldn't stop talking about him," said First Sgt. Christopher Bauman.
"He showed me photos of him every day this week. He was eager to say the least," Bauman said, as he embraced his own kids.
"It's extremely emotional," Elizabeth Patterson said. "We've waited a long time for this."
As if in agreement, the baby gave out a small cry.
Yihyun Jeong covers veterans and military issues for USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee. Reach her at yjeong@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter @yihyun_jeong.