‘Spending Time With Daddy’ Photo Depicts Son Of Fallen Soldier, Prompts Reddit Outpouring

A little boy’s “spending time with daddy” photo has captured the hearts of Reddit users, and the image shown indeed depicts a heartbreaking moment caught on film.

In a thread started by TheMacMan, the title explains what is known about the “spending time with daddy” photo, reading:

“His mom caught him spending time with his daddy. He lost daddy (SFC Benjamin Wise) in Afghanistan on Jan 15th.”

Indeed, a simple web search reveals that the man shown in the image seen in the “spending time with daddy” photo is the same used in an article regarding the death of Army Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Wise, 34, in Afghanistan last year. Wise was on his fourth deployment when he was killed during an insurgent attack, and even more tragically, his brother Jeremy, 35, was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.

At the time, Wise’s family said in a statement:

“The Wise family is sincerely touched by the concern and interest all have taken in Ben’s life, his career and his sacrifice for our country. Ben was proud of the career he built in the Army.”

The image in the “spending time with daddy” thread prompted many expressions of sympathy and users were understandably moved by the picture of the boy — one of Wise’s three kids — contemplating the portrait of his dad.

But others weighed in about having lost fathers at a young age or seeing them irrevocably changed by experiences at war, with the top comment including a letter written by a dying father to his small son. The redditor explains of losing his dad:

“My father passed on February 15, 1995 after contracting HIV from a blood transfusion in the 80s. I was five years old. I have few memories of him, maybe twelve decent pictures, a compass and a knife that I inherited from him… I have his hair, his smile, his cheekbone structure, his sense of humor, and a letter he wrote me when he realized his health was deteriorating. I will always miss my dad … ”

Another commented:

” ‘Carry on, son, and find what makes you happy.’ … That’s what your dad would tell you … I lost my dad in Vietnam when I was 7. I have heard his voice telling me to carry on almost every day since.”

Yet another related:

“My uncle did an 18 month tour as a machine gunner. Came back a heroin addict. ‘Recovered’ from that to become an alcoholic … War is absolutely hell.”

You can find the “spending time with daddy” photo thread over on Reddit.