Ben Garvin

Stills: A Soldier Bride

Amanda's parents Sue and Jim Ploog hang a welcome home sign in front of their home in rural Cedar, Minn., on July 19, 2007. "It's hard to imagine the change that will happen when she gets back home," said Sue, who said the hardest part was learning of her daughter's extension as part of the so called 'surge'. "It was almost like we held a funeral for her. She wasn't coming home."
Amanda's parents Sue and Jim Ploog hang a welcome home sign in front of their home in rural Cedar, Minn., on July 19, 2007. "It's hard to imagine the change that will happen when she gets back home," said Sue, who said the hardest part was learning of her daughter's extension as part of the so called 'surge'. "It was almost like we held a funeral for her. She wasn't coming home."