Seven-year-old Illeana Marshall got her Christmas present four days early — her dad.

1st Lt. Joseph Marshall, just back from an earthquake relief mission to Pakistan, hadn't quite made it into a hangar at Wheeler Army Air Field for the family reunion when Illeana wrapped an arm around his neck in a Velcro-like hug. And pretty much didn't let go.

Even when Marshall put her down to greet his two other children, ages 11 and 5, Illeana kept a hand on his shoulder.

Most of the 15 soldiers who reunited with their families late Wednesday night said the same thing: They have no special plans for the holidays; what makes them special is just being together.

"Quality time with my wife and kids," Marshall said. "Whatever they want to do."

Family togetherness over the holidays is taken for granted by most, or ensured by air travel for others.

There are no such guarantees in the military, especially with so many troops at war, or planning for war. But this Christmas, the stars aligned — along with Air Force airlift — to allow some deployed soldiers and Marines to make it home just in time.

About 55 soldiers with the B Company, 214th Aviation Regiment "Hillclimbers" got back Wednesday and Sunday from two months of Chinook helicopter relief flights in Pakistan.

In addition, the nuclear attack submarine USS Pasadena with about 130 crew returned to Pearl Harbor yesterday after a six-month deployment, and about 64 Kane'ohe Bay Marines who served in Afghanistan for the past seven months were reunited with family last night at Honolulu International Airport.

More than 100 family and friends cheered and a four-piece band played Christmas songs as 37 of the Marines arrived on a Delta flight at 9:20 p.m.

"It's big. It's a good feeling, and I'm ready to enjoy it," said Cpl. Jarrod Wehba, 22, from Texas, of being back for the holiday as he was reunited with his wife, Sarah, and daughter Kaylee, 5.

Many more Hawai'i troops remain deployed and will miss the holidays.

About 1,700 Hawai'i National Guard and Reserve soldiers will end their year in Iraq just after Christmas. Although the 64 Marines came back last night as an advance party, the bulk of the 900-member unit, the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, will return in several weeks.

Six Hawai'i Marines were killed in Afghanistan between May and the end of September: four with the 2nd Battalion, and two with the unit they replaced, the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.

"As a wife and mother, I'm happy to see he's come home safely, especially for the holidays," said Diana DuTremble of her husband, Gunnery Sgt. Robert DuTremble, 35. "I wish they could all be here now, but we'll be here welcoming them when they come."

Jodi Ortega, who grew up in Kalihi, said "it's a really big deal" that her husband, Staff Sgt. Carlos Ortega, 28, gets to spend Christmas with the family, including kids Sierra, 11, and Donovan, 6, because he's going off to training in January and expects to deploy to Iraq next year.

"So at least he gets to spend the holidays with us," she said.

Donovan said he's glad his dad will be there on Christmas Day "because he's special."

Jodi Ortega was more practical. "Because he gets to put together the toys. I don't want to do that," she said, jokingly.

The Rhode Island man has been to Iraq before, and has three more years on his enlistment.

"He said after this time, he's done," Jodi Ortega said. "He's going to get out and find something else because it's really hard on the family."

Amy Lazos, who waited in the Wheeler hangar Wednesday for the Hillclimbers' return with her 2-year-old son Micheal, said having her husband, Staff Sgt. Ernie Lazos, home for Christmas means a great deal "just because he's going to miss two Christmases and two of (Micheal's) birthdays."

Ernie Lazos got back in the spring from a year in Afghanistan, during which he missed a round of holidays.

Next summer, the 28-year-old Georgia man will deploy to Iraq with the Chinook unit, meaning a second round of missed celebrations.

Army officials on Wednesday still had their fingers crossed that the remaining six Hillclimbers would get military airlift back in time for Christmas.

The mid-October deployment to Pakistan with four CH-47 Chinooks was an unexpected mission sandwiched between the return from Afghanistan and plans for Iraq next August.

The helicopters, part of Task Force Quake at Qasim Air Base near Islamabad, flew daily relief missions with other U.S. and foreign helicopters to regions of Kashmir devastated by the Oct. 8 earthquake that left millions homeless and killed an estimated 87,000 people.

The Hillclimbers flew more than 150 missions and delivered 100,000 tons of relief supplies including blankets, tents and food, as well as refugees, in the mountains of Kashmir.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Cooprider, 36, a Chinook pilot from Bakersfield, Calif., said the loads were challenging. With Pakistani military loading the helicopters, weights were estimated. Cooprider was one of the first to fly corrugated steel roofing, which weighed down the big twin-rotor Chinook.

"We were at max gross weight," he said. "We were as heavy as we could possibly weigh, and that's dangerous in the mountains." There was snow at the 6,000-foot range, and the lower-elevation base at Qasim saw freezing temperatures at night.

Cooprider was among the first to return last Sunday because his wife is due to soon deliver their second child.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, who greeted returning soldiers Wednesday, said: "It was the right mission to show the goodwill of the American people, and now this great chance to get them home for Christmas just puts the icing on the cake for this mission."

Asia McCallister waited just before midnight for Staff Sgt. Steven McCallister, a 29-year-old helicopter mechanic from Texas, with their daughter, Kristin, 6, who was in blue pajamas and pink slippers.

"It's really hard on my daughter with him being gone so much," Asia McCallister said. "She just misses him so much."

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.