Chief Warrant Officer Cory Swanson, who began his military career in 1996 as a Navy diver after graduating from Clear Creek County High School, will return home to Colorado to visit family and friends in February while on leave.

Cory was stationed in Norfolk, Hawaii and San Diego, ending his naval career as a 1st Class Petty Officer.

In 2008, he transferred to the Army to fly the OH-58D(R) Kiowa Warrior helicopter. He recently re-deployed back to Hawaii from a one-year tour in support of Operation Enduring Freedom out of Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, with the 26th Cavalry Regiment.

Cory is the son of Donna Komlofske Estes and the grandson of Dorothy and Alvin Komlofske of Garden City.