War casts dark shadows over the lives it touches, but some light is shown when they return home to their families. We want to show you the raw, unfiltered feelings of reunion and loss. Each image shows people at their most vulnerable, people who endured the unimaginable pain of losing someone to war. These photos capture the humanity of soldiers, exhausted and relieved, and we’re here to share them with you. Here are 20 emotional images of soldiers returning home from war.
1. This photo shows a German soldier returning home, abandoned by his wife and kids.
2. Pictured is a soldier the day before he left for the war, vs the day he came home.
3. You can only imagine the joy of seeing your daughter for the first time after years of war.
4. Soviet soldiers, celebrating returning home alive.
5. Looking for your family member in this sea of soldiers doesn’t seem ideal.
6. It’s intense that this many people are affected by the life of one soldier.
7. A beautiful photo capturing the joy of a father having his son returned to him.
8. Two brothers who fought on opposite sides of the Civil War, that must have been a tough Thanksgiving.
9. That hug could have lasted a lifetime.
10. Those smiles mark the end of a war.
11. There was probably no better feeling than returning from Vietnam.
12. A photo of the day this father left his son and a photo of the day he returned.
13. All of her sons served, and all of her sons returned, that’s one lucky mother.
14. Canadian soldiers returning from Vimy Ridge, 1917.
15. Almost everyone on that plane home is asleep.
