I recently had the pleasure of attending a military homecoming for my friend’s husband. He had been deployed for several months and his return date had been delayed a few times. Needless to say, my friend was more than ready for her husband to come home.
We sat in the auditorium and waited for his plane to land. Once the plane landed, we had to wait for ALL the luggage to clear customs before the military members could be released to be reunited with their families.
There were so many children waiting to see their mommies and daddies. Some of the babies that I saw looked like they could be meeting their daddies for the first time. Children colored pictures, made signs, and watched a movie while they waited.
One of the ladies that I saw had five boys! They looked like they ranged in age from 10 years old to 4 months. I can’t imagine what it was like for her during the deployment. I hope she had support from friends and family because she definitely needed it. She seemed to have a lot of patience with the boys, but even the most patient parents need a break.
Finally, we were told that we could go outside and walk towards the flightline to meet our hometown heroes. I had my camera ready, as I was the designated photographer for my friend. I took several pictures of her to capture her emotions as she waited anxiously for her husband to come out of the hangar. After about thirty more minutes of waiting, I saw him come out of the hangar.
“There he is,” I told my friend with excitement. She started running up to him, but she had to wait before she could embrace him. He had to shake the hand of several high-ranking military members first.
After all of the formalities, they were finally able to embrace each other. Their first hug in months was beautiful. You could feel the joy and excitement of their reunion.
I love military homecomings. There is nothing like being reunited with the one you love.
As sad as it is to say, some military spouses did not get the chance to have the same kind of homecoming as my friend. Some of our military men and women didn’t make it home alive and their family members greeted their flag-draped casket on the flightline.
Just a few months ago, Mrs. P went through the nightmare of making funeral arrangements for her husband, who died while deployed to Afghanistan. My heart goes out to her and her beautiful little girl.
On this Memorial Day weekend, let’s look beyond the cookout, beach trip, and unofficial start of summer. Take time to pray for the loved ones of those that died to fight for our freedom. Also, please pray for our troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families back home. They need our support and prayers.
Tagged as:
deployments,
military homecoming,
Military Life
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
That was wonderfully written! I've been in there and it really is an indescribable feeling. Feeling the embrace of the one you love after so long is amazing. I checked out Mrs. P's blog. My heart is broken for her.
Happy Memorial Day.
Stopping by from SITS!
This was beautiful. Sometimes I get so caught up in the day off I forget what it's truly about.
Stopping by from SITS.
I have been there 6 times and can tell you it never gets easier. I remember one time my husband had not seen our daughter walk and i stood her on the stage so that she could walk to him.
Beautifully written and very heartfelt. I remember seeing Mrs. P's blog and cried and prayed for her.
Found you through SITS and now following you
Oh, that photo brings tears to my eyes. And what a great post – I'm so glad you were there to document this event.
Happy Memorial Day!
This was very beautifully written!
Thank you for sharing
What a great post. It makes me look forward to the homecoming with my own husband. On days like today, when I'm thinking about our fallen soldiers, I feel so grateful for everyone, including my husband, who are proudly serving our country. And I'm praying for those who didn't come home and for the families they left behind.
Thank you for helping me to remember to pray for the real reason we celebrate today. Stopping from SITS!
"This list is very familiar! I looked forward to being able to wear cute shoes again with a heel on it. I was stuck wearing halfway laced Sketchers for the last two months of my pregnancy due to swelling.
I also looked forward to wearing my wedding ring again."
Oh yes, I miss my heels sooo bad! haha I want to wear cute shoes again! I have been living in flip flops! And yes, I totally forgot about the wedding ring! I haven't been able to wear mine since the beginning, so sad.
What a great feeling to watch a friend be united with their loved one!
My heart and prayers go out to those families who have lost thier loved ones!
Beautiful post!
*Amber*
I remember those feelings and anticipation of the reunion. May God bless your little military family. Thank you for your service as being the heartlink for your family, Thank your husband from us because we can sleep at night because of his selflessness and thank your son for sharing his daddy with the United Sates, you are all heros in our book!
~Blessings~
Wonderful Post. My emotions were both happy and sad as I read this. Your friend is a lucky woman.
Yes she is! I was so excited for her. They are still “honeymooning!”