A Soldier Comes Home

Get a box of tissues and read this one by Greg Moore. It is his story of returning home from Iraq.

A Soldier Comes Home

My release from Fort Drum came earlier than expected, so when I pulled into my driveway at noon the house was empty. I dropped my bags inside and walked alone through the rooms, soaking in the images and smells that had been only a memory during ten months in Iraq.

My oldest son’s first-grade teacher had been wonderful to me while I was away. She sent school updates and pictures via e-mail almost weekly. So when I popped my head into her classroom she came running and gave me a “welcome home” hug.

“Easton is practicing a song. Why don’t you surprise him?”

My heart was racing. I followed the sound of the piano and the little voices singing, then stood and watched. Trickles of love and pride started involuntarily down my cheeks as I listened to my son. He has gotten so big. The anticipation built as I waited for him to see me.

The little girl next to him was the first to notice the uniformed man standing in the doorway. The image she saw and the facts she had been told were doing battle in her brain. Then her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open.

“Easton! Easton…your Daddy’s here!” she said in an electrified whisper.

My son’s head snapped around. The excitement and disbelief on his face is something I will never forget. I motioned him to me and he ran into my open arms. There was no hiding my tears, and I didn’t care to. This was the day I had waited for.

Read the whole article.

Traveling through the airport this past week with my heart a little heavy, I saw many soldiers returning to their families. To some I got the chance to say thank you. I wish I could say thanks personally to all of them. They do a service to our country and it’s people that is beyond belief. But their presence and their sacrifice made me proud and brightened my day.

Hat Tip Blackfive, a great blog.