A 3-year-old boy could not wait for his mom to be dismissed after serving nine months in Afghanistan with the National Guard. As she stood in line waiting for dismissal, the boy ran and jumped into her arms, a violation of military protocol, but Facebook (and his mother) didn’t seem to mind.
The 3-year-old boy, Cooper Waldvogel, is now an internet sensation after the beautiful moment was caught on tape by a KARE11 videographer. The boy’s mother, Kathryn Waldvogel, says that her first sergeant told the soldiers they were not to say hello to family members because it would take too long, instead they should wait for dismissal that would take place shortly. Kathryn followed formation into the auditorium and that is when she saw her son. Kathryn described that special moment to reporters.
“All of a sudden we had to file into the building and get into formation, and I just look up and Cooper and my mom are right there. He just kept smiling like he was in awe of me. “
However, Cooper couldn’t wait for a proper dismissal to take place. The boy ran to his mother’s arms while she was still with the other soldiers in formation. The video was later uploaded to the KARE11 Facebook page , where it has been shared over 1,300 times with over 8,000 likes. Watch the adorable reunion below.
Cooper is a pro when it comes to welcoming back family members. This isn’t the first time he has had to wait on a loved one to return from military deployment. Kathryn’s husband returned from serving in Afghanistan with the National Guard in December, which caused their deployments to overlap. Between the two deployments, the couple hasn’t seen each other in person in over 19 months.
The sacrifice this couple has made to protect the country is great. Cooper has been without both his parents in the same location for over a third of his life.
What do you think of this toddler and his adorable refusal to follow military protocol?
