As soldiers arrive home from assignments abroad, including Operation Iraqi Freedom, TLC captures their emotional first moments with family and friends. TLC worked in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Defense to gain access to these intimate, personal stories that shed light on the sacrifices made not only by the men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces, but also by their loved ones and communities back at home.

Operation Homecoming will premiere Monday, May 30, Memorial Day, from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT on TLC, with subsequent airings the first three Mondays in June.
Visit our TV schedules for Operation Homecoming tune in times.

Troops Return

In this episode, we'll meet John Keith who lost his leg from a mortar attack while he was stationed in Iraq. John reunites with his troop, but more importantly, reunites with the man who saved his life. He feels he would have died if it weren't for fellow troop member, Christian Moretti. Watch what happens when John and Christian come face-to-face for the first time since they saw each other on the battlefield. It will be an emotional hour when John's wife meets Christian and thanks him for saving her husband's life.

Read a letter from Christian Moretti when he was in Iraq.

Anthony and Yolanda are a military couple who have been married for seven years and have three children. Yolanda has been away from her family for 26 out of the last 36 months. While Yolanda's deployed in Iraq, Anthony not only raises their three children, but also runs a daycare center for other kids whose parents are overseas. Anthony is also on red alert and is waiting for a call that will potentially send his troop to Iraq. When Yolanda comes home, Anthony gives her a warm welcome by throwing out a red carpet in front of their home and putting a sash labeled "Queen" over her shoulders. Yolanda gets to see her children for the first time in over a year. Yolanda's mom and sister are also there to surprise her.

Read a letter from Yolanda to her husband when she was in Iraq.

Chris and Kim are identical twin brothers who were stationed in Iraq but in separate troops. Twenty four hours after their chance encounter in Iraq, Kim finds out his brother was injured by a mortar. That was a year ago. Now we surprise Kim at his homecoming with his brother Chris. Although Chris received a Purple Heart for his injury, he feels that his brother deserves the Purple Heart for his courage and strength in getting through Iraq. Watch as Chris gives up his purple heart to the man he feels deserves it more than him: his brother.

While Otis and Dave are sent to Iraq, their wives, Jean and Beth, decide that, instead of being without their husbands, they will move in together, support one another and be there for each other as their husbands are fighting for our country. These moms not only are there for each other, but Beth's two teenage children act as babysitters to Jean's two toddlers. Without Otis knowing, Beth purchases a new home which she reveals to him at his homecoming.

Heart to Heart

While Sgt. Corey Johnston was serving in Iraq, he heard a story of a 5 year-old Iraqi boy, Rebaz, who was in desperate need of heart surgery. After finding out that Rebaz' older brother had died from the same condition, Corey decided to do everything in his power to get the boy some help. Cindy, Corey's mom, decided to take Rebaz and his father into her home in Iowa and get him the surgery that he needed to survive. With the help from local communities and state senators, they were able to save this boy's life. Corey will meet Rebaz for the first time as he comes home and Rebaz will give him a welcome like he has never received before.

When Dawn was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, she had to say goodbye to her husband Kevin as he left for Iraq. With the help of her parents taking care of their three kids, Dawn has had a difficult year. While Kevin was gone, he became pen pals to an entire 4th grade class. Upon his return, Kevin not only surprises his family with an unexpected arrival, but also surprises the 4th grade class that he has been corresponding with for over a year in their classroom.

Read letters from some of the kids to Kevin White in Iraq.

Long Distance Delivery

When Jim was sent to Iraq, he left behind a newly pregnant wife, Britt and their son, Max. Unfortunately, Jim wasn't home in time for the birth of his son, Cole, but was able to be on the phone from Iraq during the delivery (all captured on home video). When Jim gets home, Max introduces him to his younger brother, Cole, for the first time.

Both father and son, Phil and Jamie, were sent to Iraq and stationed together in the same troop, sharing the same bunk. Phil's wife and younger son, Jamie's brother, were left behind. When the Macks return, they not only come home to see their family, but they each are surprised with a car and a first new home for Jamie to start his new life.

While Marine Staff Sergeant John Wise was away in Iraq for eight months, his wife Dawn decided to get gastric bypass surgery. Without revealing how much she lost, in pictures or otherwise, John's jaw drops when he sees his wife for the first time almost 100 pounds lighter. Before the event, Dawn had the designers from What Not To Wear give her a head-to-toe makeover.

What They Missed

This isn't the first time that Richard Wiese served our country. He also served during Desert Storm. He's missed a lot of birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. Since he was gone last Christmas, his family put off celebrating it until now. Watch what happens when Richard comes home to a Christmas tree filled with gifts, reunites with his wife, Kristy and three children, and then has a surprise reunion with his mom and dad who live hundreds of miles away

When Cassie was only a few weeks pregnant, she had to say goodbye to her newlywed husband, Brian. Thankfully, Brian is not only coming home, but he'll be there just in time to see the birth of his son. Watch as Brian witnesses the last sonogram in the doctor's office and is there holding his wife's hands as they meet their son for the first time.

Kismet (mom) and Glen are in the Airforce and have both been called to duty. They also have two children together. When they received the call to deploy to The Middle East, they had no one to look after their children — until her mom and dad volunteered to put their own lives on hold and move across the country. Although Kismet and Glen were both serving at the same time, they remained on different bases and only saw one another once in five months. The two were finally reunited at Glenn's Air Force Base in the Middle East. Later this husband and wife boarded a plane to Nebraska where they would finally be reunited with their family.

Read a letter from Kismet to her children when she was in Iraq.