It was a sight that you rarely see these days at a US airport: An entire family at the gate saying goodbye to a loved one before he boarded the plane. But in this case, I guess the TSA made an exception, because the loved one was a soldier returning to Iraq.
We were in the Orlando airport, headed to Atlanta. I watched as the soldier, a big, friendly looking guy dressed in full camouflage, hugged his wife and 3 sons tightly. The littlest one (maybe 3), called out, "Don't die, Daddy!"
I got on the plane, and as luck would have it, the soldier got on the plane and took the seat next to me. He was wiping tears from his face as he sat down.
"That's the toughest part," he said.
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