That's been his home base (? sounds like capture the flag) for a couple years now. He got back from Afghanistan (every time I say that word I just can't help of little old ladies and blankets. Afghan wars, you've got to see, is even worse. They're stabbing each other with knitting needles arguing about dropped stitches...) in, oh, Decemberish last. So to answer your question, no, they're not making him go back any time soon.
I knew him only vaguely before he went over there. He's my favorite gal-pal's high school boyfriend. And this whole thing's a bunch of weirdness. I swear to you, I've lost my fucking mind: boyfriend, boyfriend in uniform, uniformed boyfriend living all the way across the effing country?
You're the one who's allowed to collapse into helpless laughter.