Sitting in his living room, with his dog Cookie and his parents, is not something Greg Kidney takes for granted.
He hasn't been home in Northwest Gainesville in over a year. He served two tours in Iraq as a driver. But after his vehicle was hit by a bomb in Iraq, he says he learned how precious life can be.
His parents Jan and Jerry Kidney say they're so happy to have their son home on leave, especially since he could've been killed.
Nineteen people died in the explosion. Greg suffered nerve damage to his legs, among other ailments, and spent a lot of time in the hospital in Texas.
His family says after all that's happened, it's good to have Greg home.
"To have him be able to survive it and be able to come home and spend a couple of weeks with us is tremendous," Jerry Kidney said.
While her son was away, Jan regularly attended meetings for the Military Support Group of Alachua County. But tonight was the first night Greg has seen many of his supporters in a long time.
The group meets the first and third Thursdays of every month and almost 100 people attend. Members say it's good for not only veterans, but their families as well.
"We all know what we're all going through, with loved ones being over there and we're here to support each other," Jim Yakubsin, group member, said.
One way the group reaches out to the troops is by putting boxes together to send to troops overseas, filled with their favorite snacks. Greg says some people in his troop received these boxes, and a small box from Alachua County can really make a soldier's day in Iraq.
The Military Support Group of Alachua County makes about 250 of those boxes every month.... and not just for the approximately 40 soldiers deployed from our area. They say they send them to as many troops as possible to let them know someone cares.

If you want to find out more about the military support group, click on the links section of our website, wcjb.com.