HALLOCK, Minn. (AP) - Dawn Holm spent a one-year military tour in war-torn Afghanistan, teaching first aid to Afghan soldiers and coping with the deaths of four troops from her unit.

Finally back home in this small town in the extreme northwest corner of Minnesota, Holm is watching over another troop.

When she returned a week ago, 14 arms were waiting to hug her at Grand Forks International Airport. They belonged to her husband and six children, who are now adjusting to life with mom around. But it's a small price to pay for children Therese, 13, Katherine, 11, Maria, 9, Christopher, 8, Andrew, 6, Genevieve, 5, and her husband Gary.

They're just happy she returned safe and sound.

"It's really nice to come home and someone is there," said Therese, who took on more responsibility for her younger siblings when mom went off to war. "And she tells us a lot of interesting stories and shows us photos from Afghanistan."

Dawn certainly has plenty of those.

She spent 12 months in Afghanistan with the 188th Air Defense Artillery, four of whom died during the deployment.

Sgt. Travis Van Zoest and Cpl. Curtis Mehrer, both from Bismarck, died in action in June when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle. Cpl. Nathan Goodiron, 25, of Mandaree, N.D., was killed in an enemy attack on Thanksgiving. And Cpl. Christopher Kleinwachter, 29, of Wahpeton, N.D., died in a vehicle rollover accident in December.

"The most difficult experience as a soldier was to lose our four men," Holm said.

She was on the scene when Kleinwachter died, and had the heart-wrenching task of talking to his parents when they returned stateside.

"I told them that I was there when it happened, and that I prayed for him," she said. "His father hugged me and became very emotional. His mother told me that that gave her comfort."

As difficult as that was, Holm said part of her was sad to leave the barren landscape. She spent seven months in Torkham on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, working closely with the local Pashtuns, who have helped spearhead the rebuilding effort in the country.

"I was in love with my job and the people in Torkham," Holm said. "Leaving them behind was really hard."

She was awed by sight of the Khyber Pass, a famous mountain pass connecting Pakistan and Afghanistan that has become known for its tough terrain that stalls invading armies.

"It was just amazing to be able to see the great sight almost every day," Holm said.

But not as amazing as the sight of her family waiting for her when she got off the plane, and the shower back at home. In Afghanistan, Holm had to leave her shoes on in the public showers. Not anymore.

"I took a shower with no shoes, and it was really nice," she said, laughing.

Now Holm is back to being a stay-at-home mom and is busy catching up on everything she missed during 16-month stretch of active duty. That includes Therese's very first 3-pointer at a school basketball game in February.

Therese has been doing more than drain long-distance shots with her mother overseas. The oldest daughter helped her siblings with homework and get ready for an out-of-town trip.

"It was a little overwhelming," Therese said. "But my siblings are very cooperative. So it wasn't that hard."

Said her proud mom: "Therese took a lot of responsibility when I was gone. Now, she's having a lot of adjustment to do. For example, she used to sit in front in the car, but now she has to give up the seat to me."

Despite everything she missed at home, and the increasing tenuousness of the situation in Afghanistan, Dawn said she has no doubt she and her fellow troops are doing the right thing.

"The question I am getting a lot after I came back is, 'Do you really think we belong there?' and I believe we do," Holm said. "I made a difference there. And I believe what I did was good."