It was just the initial greeting that was off right? Dogs do forget certain cues sometimes…she obviously remembered you...but it might have freaked her out if you crawled up to her kennel, particularly if that wasn't something that you normally do. Imagine this...if my husband was gone for a long time, and he didn't tell me he was going to come home while I was sleeping, and creep up to the bed...it wouldn't matter how nicely he was talking to me, I would be SCARED by his unusual behavior, and his unexpected arrival.
Next time you arrive home, try just walking in like you normally do and say Hi Sheba (and puppy) like you normally do, and I bet she will be overjoyed.
We have to remember that dog brains work differently than ours in a lot of ways. If we try to think of them just like people, we usually end up getting our feelings hurt 🙂
Hey, and thanks for serving our country! Stay safe!