"I'm very proud. I love him a lot and I'm glad he's here," said Victoria Acosta, daughter.
He uses a cane now from the injuries he sustained in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan.
"They told me they flew him to Germany. It was nerve-wracking. No information. Is he ok? Is he alive?" said Mayra Acosta, wife.
The attack was January 17 in Kabul just outside the gate of Camp Eggers. Even Monday, at O'Hare, Daniel Acosta can't help thinking of another area soldier who died in that attack, Sergeant Simone Robinson, a single mom from south suburban Robbins.
"She was a great soldier and everything you ever want in a soldier. I pray for her and her family. everyday," said Acosta.
Monday, though, was a celebration for Specialist Acosta. Whiting, Indiana, turned out to welcome a returning son.
"We thank you for your service to our country," said Mayor Joseph Stahura, Whiting, Indiana.
>"It made me cry, and I don't cry very easily," said Cathy Poppen, Whiting resident.
"It's good to see him home. We're really proud of him," said Willie Brown, friend.
There were flowers and balloons, a big cake, and even bigger hugs, a community thankful for one back home and a soldier grateful to be among them.
"I appreciate everything you guys have done for us and keep on doing what you're doing. This is a great nation, the greatest nation in the world," said Acosta.
Acosta will be home for about a month. Then he will return to Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington for further treatment.