<bt>On U.S. Army Sgt. Jason Cali's return from Afghanistan, his parents had a yellow-ribbon-cutting ceremony on the front lawn of their Vienna home. On Saturday, April 24, neighbors, family members and local military veterans gathered around the tree that stands in the Calis' front yard to honor Jason Cali's return.
"[We feel] total relief. Our biggest fear, of course, was that he would be seriously hurt," said Jason Cali's father, John, in an interview after the ceremony. "It's great knowing that he's served his country and done his duty."
Around the tree trailed yellow ribbon, pale and beaten from 10 months of rain showers and sun exposure. John Cali greeted the crowd and spoke of his pride in his son and his accomplishments.
Jason Cali stood next to his father, in uniform. Alongside him were his mother, Marci Cali; his sister, Stacey Cali; his brother, Alex Cali; and his fiancée, Heather Heath.
Jason Cali kept in contact with his family through e-mail and phone calls. When asked what he missed the most about home as opposed to being in the Army, he said, without hesitation, “Freedom.”
“If I want to go to a movie, I can go," Jason Cali said. "If I want to go to a restaurant, I can go.”
Jason Cali joined the military in 1997. He recalled many times having to run to the bunker during a strike on U.S. forces in Afghanistan, even after major fighting had ended.
“There were two things I had to do that were always on my mind: keeping myself alive and keeping others alive,” he said.
Jason Cali cut the ribbon from the tree as the crowd silently looked on. Marci Cali then presented him with a new yellow ribbon, bright in contrast to the worn fabric her son had just removed.
“This will be for the troops who are still in Afghanistan and in Iraq," Marci Cali said. "I don’t know when we’ll take it down, but this is to remember them.”
Jason Cali took the ribbon from his mother and tied it to the tree. His journey over, Jason will now pursue a mechanical engineering degree from North Carolina State University, a goal he had put on hold as he served his country.
He had been away from his family for over nine months, and was deployed a year and a half ago. In Afghanistan, Jason Cali would fly base-to-base and help maintain generators and power engines.
"He got a firsthand look of what it was like helping the Afghan people. ... He could tell with the kind of help we were giving them, how grateful they are," John Cali said afterward. "He felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude."