Anyone who has ever had a loved one deployed overseas knows how difficult that can be. You miss them and fear for their safety, and you just want to have them back home and in your arms.
The distance is especially hard on special days, like birthdays and holidays. Those are the days we always spend with our families, and the hole that is left when someone is deployed seems especially large.
This dad was really missing his son, a sailor deployed in Bahrain, when his family and friends gathered to celebrate his 50th birthday. While he felt loved and honored by everyone else who was there, his son’s absence was hard to ignore.
Knowing the day would be difficult, his son sent a video message telling his dad how much he missed him and wishing him a happy birthday.
What his dad didn’t know was that he had planned a very special surprise. At the end of his message, after telling his dad, who he knew would be in tears, to “Suck it up, Princess,” the soldier said, “Now turn around and give your son a hug.”
Lo and behold, who should come walking through the door but the son, home on leave!
Overcome with emotion, the dad jumped up and embraced his son for a long time. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as they watched this sweet reunion between a father and son who obviously love each other very much.
