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The 21-year-old Sweet is coming home for Christmas. It will be her first visit in a year, and the end of her 14-month deployment to Iraq, where she was a gunner on a Humvee.

When she arrives at the Flint airport Sunday afternoon, she'll be greeted by banner waving family members wearing T-shirts that read, "Welcome home our hero Specialist Tina Sweet" on the front, and "Sweet T" on the back.

The welcoming party will include her mother, Jody Sweet of Carsonville, her father, Todd Sweet of Yale, older brother Troy Sweet of Carsonville, 90-year-old grandmother Stella Caswell of Sandusky, aunts and uncles, and others.

Josh Talaski, a car salesman at Tubbs Brothers in Sandusky, will also make the trek to the airport, so he can hand her the keys to the 2003 Dodge Ram pickup she bought online from the dealership.

"I'm stoked man," said TaIaski "I've never met her. She's doing a good deed for our country. She deserves a deal. I was very happy to help her out."

On Christmas Day there will be special meals with the family, and no doubt lots of presents under the tree. But the solder's safe return from the war is the gift that matters most.

"At Christmas, the best present around, pretty much," said Jody Sweet. "I wish they all could get them back in time for Christmas, and safely."

"You couldn't ask for a better Christmas gift," said her aunt, Jeannia Moore of Port Sanilac. "This is what Christmas is all about. Getting her home and getting her home safely...Who cares about the gifts, it's about getting family home for Christmas. It's going to be hard to let her leave home again."

Sweet joined the Army about two years ago, shortly after graduating Carsonville-Port Sanilac Academy of Alternative Learners, an alternative high school.

"Her life was going nowhere - no job, no career," when she signed up for military service, said her mother.

Today, Tina's life has "definitely turned around," her mother stated. "Attitude-wise, career-wise. She has money in the bank, getting her bills paid, making something of herself."

And Mom is looking forward to spending time with her soldier-daughter during her 22-day leave.

"We've going to do a girls' shopping day," she stated.

That's before Specialist Sweet packs up the Dodge pickup, fills the tank and heads to her home base - Ft. Bliss, Texas.