Fortunately, he said, al-Qaida didn't have the capability to aim the weapons at specific targets, so rarely was much damage done. Still, one attack managed to strike a refueling station, resulting in a fire that left nothing but a charred landscape. A couple of soldiers had been there prior to the rocket launch, but no one was injured.

As he was leaving Afghanistan, a helicopter crash killed 16 soldiers, including one of Fajardo's friends. He recalls seeing the body bags lined up at Bagram Air Base as he prepared to head home.

"It was sad," he said. "It was super sad."

Some of the emptiness he felt there persisted after he returned home, even though he was reunited with his family. Fajardo didn't say much, keeping mostly to himself. He would cry for no apparent reason. He became forgetful. He was unemployed and had nothing to do. "I felt like I was dropped into a cage," he said.

His spirits have lifted since getting a job and moving with his wife and young son to a new house. He did have a Christmas this year. Three stockings hung from the mantel. A large, brightly lit Christmas tree filled the living room.

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Alex Fajardo

Rank: Sergeant

Unit: 211th Aviation Group

Tour: Afghanistan, April 2004-April 2005

Residence: West Jordan

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E-mail: romboy@desnews.com