AMHERST, Ohio — No matter which way the world spins, the Sterk family's bond stays strong.

Staff Sergeant Aaron Sterk spent just over six months deployed in Kuwait, returning home last week to a series of emotional reunions with his wife Alexandra and their three young children.

A surreal reunion

Alexandra Sterk was the first to welcome her husband home at the Pittsburgh Air Force Base.

"Once we found out the official date, I was able to go to the hanger on base and they got off the plane and they walked right up to us," Alexandra said. "And it was just a very surreal moment."

But Aaron's deployment had been difficult for the entire family. Their youngest, Everett, was just a baby when his father left in early April. By the time Aaron returned in mid-October, Everett was a toddler.

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