2-Year-Old Girl Goes to Airport with Mom, Unknowingly about to Reunite with Her Military Dad

It can be hard for children, especially babies and toddlers, to understand why their parents in the army need to leave. That is why when they finally get to see their mom and dad in person, they hug them so tightly for fear of them disappearing once again.

In May of 2017, 2-year-old Adalynn and her mother Alison both stood at Rapid City Regional Airport in their home state of South Dakota. The little girl held a sign, but she had no idea what was written on it. As she held it up, the poster read:

“I’m here to get my dad. [I] just don’t know 'cause I can’t read yet!”

Senior Airman Ron Durbin had been deployed for just over half a year and was more than looking forward to seeing his beautiful wife and daughter's smiles.

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A HEARTFELT HOMECOMING

When her father first walked through the door towards his tiny little girl standing next to her kneeling mom, Adalynn seemed taken aback; It was almost as if she didn't believe he was there.

The 2-year-old, without taking her eyes off of the dad, tried to hand the poster to her mom but eventually dropped it in eager anticipation and ran straight into her dad's arms.

The two embraced one another as the Senior Airman picked her up slightly with her arms around his neck, refusing to let go. Durbin had even brought a stuffed animal along with him to give Adalynn, but she was completely preoccupied with her father.

WHEN I'M GONE

Mom was still kneeling behind her baby, watching the two hug. She had her hand over her mouth and was crying at the sight of the two people she loved the most, once again in each other's arms.

Sadly, after this touching reunion, the Senior Airman did have to leave on another mission, only having spent less than a year with his family. The dad was said to be returning right before Adalynn's third birthday, hopefully giving her the surprise of a lifetime once again.

SIMPLY OVERJOYED

If you think this little girl's reaction was adorable, you should see one wife, Meek Watt's video of her little boy being woken up by his dad that had just come home from being deployed. The clip was shared on Instagram, with the description reading:

"My husband has been on deployment for a while…He made a surprise visit home. That #fatherandson relationship is so vital. IM A WITNESS."

The father slowly but surely woke his son up, who seemed unwilling to open his eyes. However, once he caught sight of his father, he screamed: "Daddy," jumping into his arms and sobbing.

A DIFFICULT OCCUPATION

Military life can be challenging not only for the family but, of course, the parent in the army themselves. While the two previous soldiers got to see their children, Brooks Lindsey was not so lucky, missing out on the birth of his newborn—at least in person.

In 2018, with his flight delayed, Lindsey witnessed the birth of his child over FaceTime. Once up in the air, the army man wouldn't have been able to connect to the application.

I ALMOST MISSED THE MOMENT

Therefore when they could finally board and right when the child was starting to crown, the last thing his wife remembered was the doctor yelling, "Don't let him board the flight! She's here!"

It turned out that the airport personnel let Brooks sit there and watch his daughter's birth, and when the baby began crying, all the other fellow passengers rejoiced with him.

From the love they exude, we think it's pretty clear that both of these soldiers have turned out to be amazing dads.