HwyStarJoe
Dec 22nd, 04, 03:47 AM
I know how Santa feels now....
My best friend Ken, who's been in Iraq with the 256th out of Ft. Polk since October, was sort of forced to take a few weeks of leave this month.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
My son and I picked him up from the airport here last night. graemlins/thumbsup.gif
He wasn't 100% sure that be able to leave the country until Saturday night when he called his wife to tell her that he was heading to Kuwait on Sunday. Right then we KNEW he was on his way. I've been chomping at the bit and sitting on pins and needles since the weekend.
Because he wasn't 100% sure that he'd even get the leave, his wife never told their three kids (10,11 and 13). In fact, she, myself and my wife were the only people who knew he was coming home this month. Not even her parents knew.
Right up until the last second. smile.gif
Well, last night was his daughters 6th grade singing concert at her school, so we had a dilemma. His flight landed here at 6:30pm. How was her mother supposed to take her and the boys to the school before the concert AND meet her husband at the airport?? I planned on being at the airport to welcome him home NO MATTER WHAT, so it ended up being just me and my son there. My wife went on to the school to attend the concert, keeping up appearances, as it were.
Man, I will tell you one thing, I must have looked like a kid at a toy store standing there on the concourse waiting for him to walk down the hall!! I could barely maintain. I wasn't alone.... I saw quite a few people in the military being greeted by friends and family. I was getting so damn anxious for my turn! When I finally spotted him coming from the gate, it was easy to pick him out of the crowd. Ken was still wearing his desert BDU's. The same uniform he'd been in since he left Iraq on Sunday morning! They're not allowed to wear civilian clothing over there so he had no choice really.
I couldn't wait to shake his hand and give him a great big hug! I'm still overwhelmed.
So, by this time it's after 7pm and the concert at his daughters school starts at 8pm. We grab his bags, head for the house and he scrapes the desert off and puts on some REAL clothes. He cleaned up real nice, if I do say so myself. smile.gif
I got him to the school at 8:00pm on the nose! He stayed out in the hall and my son and I snooped around the theater trying to find his family and my wife. His in-laws were there as well. They saved us a couple of seats right down front. Ken slinked into a seat all the way in the back and I gave his wife and mine a small thumbs up as we sat down.
The concert was only 30 minutes long...... I don't think I heard a single note they sung. I'm sure it was wonderful. I just kept watching his daughter up on stage and looking over at his two sons, who sat there as typical teenagers, goofing around, not paying any attention to their sister.
Kens wife Karen couldn't stand it any longer knowing her husband was sitting in the same room waiting. She excused herself about 10 minutes into the concert and snuck to the back. No one noticed. graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Then the show ended and the lights went up. he whole place stood up and I turned around to see him walking down the isle towards us. Before his daughter even got off the stage, she spotted him! Then his youngest son, who was standing right next to me, turned around and I will NEVER forget the look on his face!! Ever!
Within the span of 2 seconds, his eyes went from that double-take sort of look, to confusion, then to total disbelief...... then he just froze right where he stood. His older brother was still wise-cracking trying to get by us and when he saw what we were looking at, he turned around and all he could do was stutter. He didn't know what to say.
smile.gif
Of course my wife started bawling right there in the isle, which made Karen's mother ask my wife what was wrong..... but she didn't have to say a word. Ken and Karen were standing right there with us by then. Then SHE started bawling too and yelling his name! His father-in-law and I kinda winked at each other.... Karen told him earlier that afternoon what was going on. I just stepped back and got my camera out and started snapping pics.
By then, half the theater was looking over our way. Word spread pretty quick.
I maintained quite well I must say.... although it was tough. Like I said before.... I'd been waiting for that moment since Sunday.
Now Ken gets to spend the holidays with his family. And they get to spend it with him.
I wish I could say the same thing for everyone else that's not able to be home right now. I hope they don't wonder if everyone will forget about them for the next week or so. I hope they know that they will be in ALL of our thoughts and prayers even more so now.
I couldn't care less if Santa brings me a single darn thing this year. Or next year. I got what I wanted.... seeing those looks on his kids faces last night. That's all I wanted. Being able to bring their father to them as a surprize was my gift to them as our God children.
I'm done now..... I just had to share that with someone.
Oh..... the first thing he said to me when we were heading to the baggage claim area was how we need to get together SOON and go check out this 1968 Cougar that he's thinking of buying as a father\son project. I thought that was kinda funny. I'll let ya know what the car looks like next week.
;)
My best friend Ken, who's been in Iraq with the 256th out of Ft. Polk since October, was sort of forced to take a few weeks of leave this month.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
My son and I picked him up from the airport here last night. graemlins/thumbsup.gif
He wasn't 100% sure that be able to leave the country until Saturday night when he called his wife to tell her that he was heading to Kuwait on Sunday. Right then we KNEW he was on his way. I've been chomping at the bit and sitting on pins and needles since the weekend.
Because he wasn't 100% sure that he'd even get the leave, his wife never told their three kids (10,11 and 13). In fact, she, myself and my wife were the only people who knew he was coming home this month. Not even her parents knew.
Right up until the last second. smile.gif
Well, last night was his daughters 6th grade singing concert at her school, so we had a dilemma. His flight landed here at 6:30pm. How was her mother supposed to take her and the boys to the school before the concert AND meet her husband at the airport?? I planned on being at the airport to welcome him home NO MATTER WHAT, so it ended up being just me and my son there. My wife went on to the school to attend the concert, keeping up appearances, as it were.
Man, I will tell you one thing, I must have looked like a kid at a toy store standing there on the concourse waiting for him to walk down the hall!! I could barely maintain. I wasn't alone.... I saw quite a few people in the military being greeted by friends and family. I was getting so damn anxious for my turn! When I finally spotted him coming from the gate, it was easy to pick him out of the crowd. Ken was still wearing his desert BDU's. The same uniform he'd been in since he left Iraq on Sunday morning! They're not allowed to wear civilian clothing over there so he had no choice really.
I couldn't wait to shake his hand and give him a great big hug! I'm still overwhelmed.
So, by this time it's after 7pm and the concert at his daughters school starts at 8pm. We grab his bags, head for the house and he scrapes the desert off and puts on some REAL clothes. He cleaned up real nice, if I do say so myself. smile.gif
I got him to the school at 8:00pm on the nose! He stayed out in the hall and my son and I snooped around the theater trying to find his family and my wife. His in-laws were there as well. They saved us a couple of seats right down front. Ken slinked into a seat all the way in the back and I gave his wife and mine a small thumbs up as we sat down.
The concert was only 30 minutes long...... I don't think I heard a single note they sung. I'm sure it was wonderful. I just kept watching his daughter up on stage and looking over at his two sons, who sat there as typical teenagers, goofing around, not paying any attention to their sister.
Kens wife Karen couldn't stand it any longer knowing her husband was sitting in the same room waiting. She excused herself about 10 minutes into the concert and snuck to the back. No one noticed. graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Then the show ended and the lights went up. he whole place stood up and I turned around to see him walking down the isle towards us. Before his daughter even got off the stage, she spotted him! Then his youngest son, who was standing right next to me, turned around and I will NEVER forget the look on his face!! Ever!
Within the span of 2 seconds, his eyes went from that double-take sort of look, to confusion, then to total disbelief...... then he just froze right where he stood. His older brother was still wise-cracking trying to get by us and when he saw what we were looking at, he turned around and all he could do was stutter. He didn't know what to say.
smile.gif
Of course my wife started bawling right there in the isle, which made Karen's mother ask my wife what was wrong..... but she didn't have to say a word. Ken and Karen were standing right there with us by then. Then SHE started bawling too and yelling his name! His father-in-law and I kinda winked at each other.... Karen told him earlier that afternoon what was going on. I just stepped back and got my camera out and started snapping pics.
By then, half the theater was looking over our way. Word spread pretty quick.
I maintained quite well I must say.... although it was tough. Like I said before.... I'd been waiting for that moment since Sunday.
Now Ken gets to spend the holidays with his family. And they get to spend it with him.
I wish I could say the same thing for everyone else that's not able to be home right now. I hope they don't wonder if everyone will forget about them for the next week or so. I hope they know that they will be in ALL of our thoughts and prayers even more so now.
I couldn't care less if Santa brings me a single darn thing this year. Or next year. I got what I wanted.... seeing those looks on his kids faces last night. That's all I wanted. Being able to bring their father to them as a surprize was my gift to them as our God children.
I'm done now..... I just had to share that with someone.
Oh..... the first thing he said to me when we were heading to the baggage claim area was how we need to get together SOON and go check out this 1968 Cougar that he's thinking of buying as a father\son project. I thought that was kinda funny. I'll let ya know what the car looks like next week.
;)