Metro

Bring on the tears: Heroes’ reunions a Web hit

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Welcome home, soldier — here’s a tissue.

Videos of soldiers returning home and surprising their families have become an online phenomenon, the modern equivalent of the parade down Main Street.

A soldier greeting his parents at a Boston Bruins hockey game, a Great Dane nearly bowling over his returning master in excitement and a father stunning his three children at Busch Gardens are just a few of the many waterworks moments posted.

A search for “soldier homecoming surprise” yields around 2,000 results on YouTube, and there’s even a Web site, the Welcome Home Blog, devoted to the reunions.

The site, started in June 2010, was an instant hit with military families, who began sending in videos of their own.

Now there are 400 videos on the site, with its founder, Chase Holfelder, 27, of Raleigh, NC, receiving 50 new submissions a week.

Holfelder is not a veteran. He was just moved by the videos.

“I found myself searching for hours on YouTube, trying to find yet another heartwarming clip to watch,” he said.

He says the blog has struck a chord.

“The site seemed to offer military members and their families a means of catharsis during the tough times of deployment,” Holfelder said.

There will likely be many more videos made by the end of the month, as most of the 13,000 troops still in Iraq are expected to return home.

Though most are fans, some find the often elaborately plotted surprises manipulative.

“Why add another layer of stress to an already stressful situation?” said Eric Durr, director of public affairs for the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs.

“I think they’re playing with people’s emotions.”

Col. Daniel Klippstein, who has his own video of him surprising his 22-year-old daughter, sees it differently.

The videos, he said, are a reminder that “folks are still over there. Tens of thousands are still there doing very tough missions. It’s important to remember that, no matter what your political stance is.”

Col. Daniel Klippstein of Springfield, Va., shows up on the sidelines for his soccer-playing daughter.


The story: Klippstein, who served in Afghanistan for 15 months, visited his daughter, Brittany, 22, during her soccer practice at Lynchburg College in Virginia. Because she couldn’t greet him at the airport, he decided to take the four-hour drive to her school. He let her teammates and coaches in on the surprise but didn’t tell her. The moment would have went undocumented, though, if not for a handy teammate. While Klippstein waited by the goal posts, the coach urged him to “go out and stop practice,” but he refused, waiting until his daughter noticed him.

Killer moment: Brittany is so focused on her game that she doesn’t see her father. Only when her teammates stop and stare at the man in fatigues does she let out a yelp and rush to embrace him. She “headed toward me like a locomotive,” Klippstein said.

Great Dane nearly knocks over his owner, Senior Airman Trevor Crowder, in Salina, Texas.


The story: After spending nine months away in Afghanistan, Trevor was convinced that his beloved dog, a black Great Dane named Emmitt Thunderpaws, wouldn’t remember him. So he and his wife, Whitney, put the dog to the smell test and had Trevor walk around the home, then hide out of sight in the back yard. The huge pup smelled him immediately — even sniffing out Trevor’s movements around the dining-room table — and became so excited at the sight of the airman that he nearly bowled him over.

Killer moment: “There’s a point where [Emmitt] is holding onto Trevor and breathing past his face and looking off into the distance like he’s in shock,” said Whitney, who filmed the reunion. “That was my favorite part.”

Army Staff Sgt. John Knappe of Hampden, Maine, drops by his children’s school.

The story: Mom Ellen Knappe told their children — Ty, 9, and Miranda, 7 — that she would be picking them up after school and taking them to a dentist’s appointment. They weren’t looking forward to it. Armed with a small video camera, Ellen caught the moment when Ty and Miranda bolted from the principal’s office and ran to their dad, who was supposed to be still stationed in Afghanistan.

Killer moment: Ty sees his dad standing in the school hallway. For a second, the stunned boy appears to be in denial. He buries his head in his father’s shoulder as tears stream down his face. “It’s better than the dentist,” his dad jokes.

Massachusetts National Guard Lt. Charlie Jacobs stuns his parents in a televised reunion at a Boston Bruins hockey game.


The story: Charlie’s friend contacted the Bruins, who arranged for his parents, Daron and Lori Jacobs, to be selected for the ceremonial puck drop in honor of Veterans Day on Nov. 12. Little did they know, their son, who was supposed to have been deployed in Afghanistan, would greet them there. “I hear our son’s name, and I thought, ‘This is not part of the script,’ ” Daron recalled.

He said they wanted to run to their son, “but that could have been a disaster — we could have all fallen on the ice,” he laughed.

Killer moment: When Charlie walks out onto the ice to deliver the puck, the normally macho hockey fans showed their soft sides and went wild.

Air Force Sgt. Christopher Hill gives his kids a shock during a stage show at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla.


The story: Christopher and his wife, Frances, chose to keep the homecoming a secret from their three children until attending a “Sesame Street” stage show at Busch Gardens. Christopher was so devoted to the plan that he contacted the amusement park a month before to arrange for him to be introduced during the show “A is for Africa” and even hid from his children for three days at a friend’s house after he arrived home sooner than expected.

Killer moment: On stage, character Abby Cadabby announces that she’s going to use her magic wand to bring a friend back from Afghanistan. When Christopher appears, his son, CJ, 4, thanks Abby Cadabby for “getting my daddy home.” Christopher said that it was all worth it when he walked on stage. “Oh, my God, they were so super-excited,” the dad said. “At that point, I realized, that’s why I didn’t just go home.”

Navy Cmdr. William Dodge of Whidbey Island, Wash., pops in on twin daughters at summer camp


The story: Since 13-year-old twins Caitlyn and Sarah weren’t able to pick their father up while they were at camp, William and his wife, Sharon, thought visiting them there would be the next best thing. So mom Sharon arrived with William and a video camera.

Killer moment: When the twins see their father, they shriek “Daddy!” in unison. “I knew that as soon as they saw me, they would come running, and since they’re always together, I knew it would be double!” William recalled. Sharon said, “To see them wrapped up in their father’s arms — both girls are real daddy’s girls — it’s pure joy.”

Army Staff Sgt. Raymond Cramer surprises his teen daughter during a football game in Frazeysburg, Ohio.


The story: Cramer pulled out all the stops when he surprised his daughter, Sky, 14, at her high-school football game. He conspired with the school’s principal, the competing team’s administration and the team’s announcer. When Cramer, who had been in Kuwait for 11 months, watched his daughter, a flag girl, from the opponent’s side of the field, it was the first time he had ever seen his daughter perform.

Killer moment: As Cramer and his two younger kids are called onto the field by the announcer, Sky runs into the frame and jumps into her dad’s arms. “It’s the fastest I’ve ever seen her run,” Cramer recalled.

Airman Adam Parton flies in for a backyard family reunion in Toledo, Ohio, on Aug. 16 and gives Grandpa a real shock.

The story: Adam’s parents and just about everyone else at the reunion knew about his 10-day leave except for his grandfather Dick Parton and Adam’s wife, Melanie. “It was something else,” Adam said. The 22-year-old airman was supposed to be stationed in England after 14 months abroad. He will now head to Afghanistan.

Killer moment: Granddad Dick enjoys a beer as he greets relatives. He barely looks up as he shakes the hand of a young man — then he realizes it’s his grandson. Granddad is overwhelmed, so Adam’s uncle elbows in to claim a hug.