The Halls are together at Christmas. Photo / Otago Daily Times
When his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer this week, Squadron Leader Steve Hall was determined to make it home from Afghanistan for Christmas.
The Kiwi Air Force engineer was granted compassionate leave the following day and there began a marathon four-day journey from wintry Afghanistan to his home in
Dunedin.
He hitched a lift on a United States Black Hawk helicopter from Bamyan Army Base to Kabul, then caught an RAF British flight to Kandahar.
From there he jumped on an Australian Army plane to Dubai, then a commercial flight to Auckland, and finally arrived in Dunedin on Thursday night.
"There are mixed emotions," the 42-year-old said. "It's nice to be home and have Christmas with the family but it's for reasons I wasn't expecting."
His father Ken was well enough to attend Christmas lunch yesterday, with Hall's wife Bridget and children Matthew, 11, and 7-year-old Sarah.
Hall said it was special to be able to watch the children open their presents in person rather than on Skype as they had planned.
"The Defence Force is pretty responsive - it looks after the welfare aspects of deployment and they understand the challenges faced and if they need to get us home, they make sure we get home," he said.
It will be his first Christmas at home in five years. He was based in Washington DC before being deployed to Afghanistan.
"It's great being able to have a proper Kiwi Christmas for a change. But at the same time I can't wait to get back. You are part of a team out there."
Bridget said it was bittersweet to have Steve back so unexpectedly. Six weeks ago they had sent a box of treats to make sure they would arrive before Christmas.
"We wanted him to have things that he can use there that remind him of home," she said.
Hall will head back to Bamyam next month, where temperatures drop to around minus seven in January.
The multi-national force in Bamyam is helping rebuild schools, hospitals and other infrastructure in the war-torn country.
