David Damron's most recent business trip meant a year and a half away from his wife and three children—serving as a platoon sergeant in an airborne National Guard unit sent to the Middle East.

Damron, a Leigh High School graduate and 18-year member of the U.S. military, returned to American soil April 19.

What was supposed to be a six-month deployment to Afghanistan tripled in length and sent the sergeant to Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq as well. He served with the National Guard's G Company 104, relieving other companies that had been deployed for long periods of time or were transferring to other areas.

Damron's unit was the only one to return from Afghanistan with all of its members. Though his company often landed its Chinook helicopters on rooftops, in tight places and on rocky terrain, he said he had no problem dinging up an aircraft if it meant saving one of its members.

"It was nice to be able to come home as a whole unit," Damron told a group of his father's co-workers at a recent homecoming reception in his honor. "We had a reputation ... that we would not leave anybody behind."

Damron arrived in Los Gatos on June 8 to visit his parents, Del and Marlene Damron. The following day, Del's Alain Pinel real estate office hosted the party for David, to whom they sent hundreds of care packages during his time away.

Diane Chandler, who works in Del's office, did much of the shopping for the packages. Chandler said everyone in the office was incredibly supportive, and she was able to send food, candy, socks, long underwear and a number of other goods several times.

"Out of our entire offices, I had one negative response," Chandler said. "I couldn't believe it. Nobody ever said, 'I don't support the war.' We never got into the politics of it, because that wasn't what it was about."

The younger Damron got a reputation among his company as a sort of Santa Claus, distributing the items sent by his father's co-workers.

Damron's unit ran a number of different missions, including equipment transportation, re-supply, humanitarian, medical pickup and aerial assaults. Though the duties varied, the company tackled each order with the same energy, he said.

"You understood what the mission was," Damron said. "Whether it was re-supply, an assault or humanitarian, you put your mind into whatever concept that was."

His parents were overjoyed to have their son back in the United States and said they supported him the whole time he was away.

"He said, 'Dad, we're going over to do a job, and we've trained for it,' " Del said. "All we can do is give him our love, pray and let him go."

David's mother said she couldn't help but be proud of her son when looking at pictures and video footage he often emailed home.

"Most people don't get an opportunity to see what their kids really do," she said. "People say, 'Are you impressed?' Yeah, I'm impressed."

Del said he worried about his son, but felt that he was fighting for the noble cause of freedom.

"We knew something could have happened," Del said, starting to choke up.

Del's parents and office workers were not the only ones to show support for the National Guard unit. A woman introduced her young son to David at the reception and said the boy's fourth-grade class sent letters to the company.

"Thank you very much," the uniformed sergeant said, stooping down to talk to the boy at eye level. "You guys used to make us laugh."

Damron said he will be glad to return to his job as an instructor at the Eastern Army Aviation School in Pennsylvania. He described his time away as the most challenging thing he has ever done with the military, but also the most rewarding.

"You understand that you do have a mission there," he said. "The people who lost their lives there didn't die for no reason."