As November 11, the day for the remembrance of fallen soldiers approaches, two Bermudian families said this week they were very grateful that their sons ? Sgt. Jason DiGiacomo and Sgt. Daniel (Parker) Thomas ? made it out of Iraq alive.

Robert DiGiacomo said his son, Jason was ?doing fine?.

?He is back with his unit in Oklahoma awaiting entry into NCO school to rise further in rank,? he said. ?He is out of Iraq. We are very relieved to say the least. But we didn?t celebrate until we knew the wheels were up and he was out of Iraqi airspace.?

Mr. DiGiacomo said his son had been out of harm?s way since April.

?We?re not waiting for that phone call anymore,? he added.

The US Army had called his family twice about their son.

?The first time was because his vehicle was forced off the road and flipped several times and he was thrown from the vehicle,? Mr. DiGiacomo said. ?When I saw the pictures it looked much worse than what they told me over the phone.

?The second time was when a large helicopter had been shot down and they were not sure if he was on board or not. Several members of his unit were. The first phone call was numbing. After the second phone call, basically the whole world came to a halt, while we were waiting for information to know one way or the other. It was a day-and-a-half of waiting ? almost two days.

?It was earth-shattering. Everything came to a stop. Neither his mother nor I was able to do anything.

?He was on his way to what they call R&R, for leave. It was just before Christmas. The helicopter was shot down by a missile. He was supposed to be on that helicopter the next weekend. Not knowing was worse than anything else.?

Sgt. DiGiacoma was able to make it home to Bermuda for that leave, however.

Now that their son is out of Iraq ?people see a change in the way we are,? his dad said.

?We were walking on pins and needles before. But once we knew he was safe we could sleep again.?

His son has not discussed much of what he saw in Iraq with them, he added.

?He saw and witnessed stuff,? Mr. DiGiacomo said. ?He was in the middle of Fallujah and Ramadi where all the problems are right now. Not that much might have changed there. Just that new guys are doing it.?

The proud dad plans to take his son to see his favourite American football team play in New York next month.

?He wanted to see his team (New York Jets) the whole time he was over there,? he said. ?I was able to secure some tickets. I told my wife, Barbara, that he survived the war, so the tickets are priceless.?

Another family familiar with the uncertainty that comes with having a loved one serving in Iraq is the Thomas family.

Donna Thomas said it was the happiest day of her life when she heard her son, Sgt. Daniel (Parker) Thomas had come home alive after a year in the war-torn country.

And, for the first time in four years, Mrs. Thomas and both of her sons, Daniel and Jason (who also lives in Bermuda) were set to have Thanksgiving dinner together in New York City.

?It will be good to have all of the family together again,? Mrs. Thomas said.

Sgt. Thomas? wife and his new daughter Syanne are based at Fort Reilly in Manhattan, Kansas.

?I am sure he has seen a lot,? his mother said. ?There are some things I am sure he really can?t talk about. But I know he went through a lot.?

Her relief at his safety is palpable.

?So many of them did not come back,? she said. ?Thank God he came back safe and sound. As far as I know he does not have to go back.?

She said she still cannot watch news coverage of Iraq on television.

?I used to watch the news,? she said. ?But I do not want to watch it now. But he said if I watch it, I might see him and feel better.?

Her son regularly called and emailed, she said.

However, sometimes there would be ?two to three weeks? without communication and she would worry.

Now she can see her son ? alive and well back at Fort Reilly ? via Internet camera.

?He looks healthy and happy,? she said.