Logan Pautzke was all set to surprise his parents Dec. 26 after his flight arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Pautzke, a Minnesota National Guardsman serving in Iraq, rented a car and drove out to the rural Litchfield farm. Finding his sister, Jessica, alone, the two left to find his parents, Dale and Stephanie. But his plan was foiled when his parents, who came home early, found his backpack sitting in the foyer.

While the surprise didn’t quite turn out how Pautzke, 21, imagined, it was still good to be home, the soldier said. The two-week rest and relaxation leave also gave him a chance to catch up with family and friends and recharge for his final few months in Iraq.

“I just want to get over there and get back and get it done,” he said. “By having leave (to come home and see) the freedoms we have here...I want to get back and help make a difference.”

A member of the 849th Mobility Augmentation Company based in Litchfield, Pautzke and fellow local guardsmen and women left for Camp Shelby, Miss., in early June for pre-deployment training. They prepared for possible encounters and also learned about Iraqi culture, Pautzke said.

In early September, the Litchfield-based unit officially moved overseas and was attached to a North Dakota unit, serving as a security force to several small communities along the southern edge of Baghdad.

Read how Pautzke sees soldiers making a difference in his communities in the Jan. 17 Independent Review.