A member of the rear security element, 1st Platoon, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Fwd), Cpl. Jason H. Gerstner, poses with a photo of his 8-year old son in front of a tactical vehicle known as the ?Husky? used in road clearance operations in the Al Anbar Province. Trading a full-time job in an American metropolitan area for an around-the-clock job in a combat zone, and leaving behind regular visits with an 8-year old son for a year-long absence, Gerstner, joined the Marine Corps in the middle of his life, at age 28. After a year stationed at Okinawa, Japan, and a 7-month deployment in Iraq, Gerstner is going back to his hometown of Irwin, Pa., to see his son for the first time in over a year and a half. ?I can?t wait until I get back home to see my son,? said Gerstner, adding that because of the deployment his father helped his son pick out new sports equipment. ?My son is looking forward to me coming home,? he said with excitement. ?When I come home, he will be starting his football season.? This season Gerstner and his son could buy football cleats together.