For deployed military members, home is what they miss the most. It offers them a sense of safety and comfort, which is often elusive during deployments.
Parents who miss important milestones may find this absence particularly challenging.
Fathers who are absent may miss out on the precious moments of their child’s first steps, first word, and birth.
The job is not easy.
Skyler Cooper was a military father who spent seven months on deployment in Kuwait with the Kansas Army National Guard.
While on deployment, Skyler left his children, Leighton and Corbett, as well as his wife, Cydney, behind.
At the time of Skyler’s deployment, Cydney was expecting twins. Just 33 weeks into her pregnancy, she fell ill with the flu.
Due to Cydney’s illness, the twins, Emma and Kyla, were born prematurely and had to be confined in the NICU.
It was a difficult time.
The experience was extremely stressful.
In her own words, Cydney was “hanging on by a string” as she had two young sons at home and two premature twins in the NICU.
Cydney told Good Morning America that she missed her husband more than ever during this difficult time.
One day, while visiting her newborn daughters in the hospital, Cydney received a text from Skyler asking about the well-being of the twins.
And then, the biggest surprise happened.
At the very moment she received the text, Skyler walked into the hospital room, surprising Cydney with balloons decorated with the American flag. She was overwhelmed with emotions and burst into tears.
Cydney spoke about her shock and relief on Good Morning America.
It was likely the greatest surprise for Cydney after enduring the challenges alone, to have her closest companion back home to assist her in healing from the experience.
Their boys were surprised too.
The couple now had the opportunity to extend the excitement of Skyler’s return for a little longer.
Daddy’s home
The news that their father had come back home filled their two sons with great excitement.
Cydney took to Facebook to share the touching reunion with her husband. In her post, she opened up about their year-long journey filled with challenges during his deployment.
After undergoing “1 year of crazy” that involved “1000s of miles, 1 solo pregnancy and delivery, 48392 Skype calls, some superheroes, a few plane rides, 12 NICU days, tons of help from family and friends, and many tears.” Cydney wrote in a Facebook post that her soldier was finally back home.
And the video went viral.
The post has received a lot of love and attention from people all over the world.
One commenter wrote, “Thank you for your service to the husband and thank you for your sacrifice, dear wife and family! What a trooper you are!! God bless you!!”
“Congratulations! I love seeing such happy homecomings for our countries’ heroes and their families. Thank you for your service! I wish y’all much love and happiness! You have a beautiful family,” another one posted.
Certainly, the duties performed by deployed military personnel are challenging, but the spouse who manages everything at home deserves recognition as well.
Check out the touching video below to witness the moment when Cydney discovered that her husband, the soldier, had returned home!
