On the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, a U.S. Marine made his long journey home to his family in the Hudson Valley.

Denise Lanzillotti said she was overcome with pride while waiting at the Westchester County Airport for her son to return.

The New Paltz mom says the last four years have been difficult without her 22-year-old son, Cpl. Jordan Scivolette, who’s now returning home from Hawaii.  Scivolette is returning after a four-year deployment with the United States Marine Corps.

While the family welcomed him with open arms, they were still  recognizing the significance of his return on Sept. 11.

Scivolette, who was in kindergarten when the World Trade Center went down, was determined at a young age to protect the U.S.

“I kinda made the decision I wanted to do this at a very young age,” he says. “So yeah, that played a huge part.”