Miami native, Cpl. Ruben Varela, a mortarman with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division holds his son for the first time on October 15, 2013 aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune after being deployed to Afghanistan since April 2013. The battalion was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Scott Whiting)

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