Saying goodbye isn’t always easy, especially when you’re talking about a father and his children.
Brettany Buetow wanted her two young children, Riley and Austin, to say goodbye to their father who was about to be deployed.
[/imgsrc]
She brought the kids to the shore to his departing ship.
Although the kids couldn’t actually see their Dad, they knew he was on the ship and it would be the last time they would have any contact with him for about six months.
Riley and Austinâs dad was leaving for deployment on the USS Carl Vinson.
It was the first time he was being deployed.
The family said their in-person goodbyes, but the family drove to the shore when he was about to leave to get one last wave.
The kids were yelling to their father when they got a visitor.
Officer James Weaver noticed what was going on and knew he could help.
While kids can be pretty loud on their own, he wanted to give them a better chance of their father hearing them.
In a television interview, Weaver said,
“I figured thereâs no way heâs going to hear their voices at least 50 yards away ⌠I thought Iâd give them a chance to be louder and give their voices a chance to be heard by their dad.”
That’s why he let them use the PA system from his patrol car.
Growing up with a father who was deployed with the Navy, Weaver knew how hard it could be for a kid to say goodbye to their dad.
During a TV interview, Weaver said,
âItâs hard because, especially when youâre younger, you donât realize whatâs going on,â he said. âAll the sudden, Dadâs gone.â
Weaver says being a father now himself, he also knows how hard it is to be on the other end. That’s one of the reasons why it was a no-brainer to pull over and help.
It didn’t take long for the kids to jump on the PA system to say goodbye to their dad.
Four-year-old Riley couldn’t wait to use it, while her brother was a little shy. Riley told her father âbye daddyâ and âwe love youâ. While Brettany was trying to be strong, the goodbyes were too much and she started to tear up.
Brettany told a television station,
âI had held it together really well until they started saying goodbye, and the tears just started,â she says. âHe didnât have to do that. It was really kind of him to pull up and try to make it special.â
Brettany expressed her gratitude on her Facebook page and the story went viral. In the caption she gave a special shout out to the kind police officer:
“Shout out to the San Diego Police Officer who pulled up next to us and asked if Rileigh and Austin wanted to tell their daddy they loved him as his ship went by, leaving for deployment. They got to speak into the microphone and say, “bye daddy, we love you!!”
I am so grateful for ALL of the men and women in uniform who serve and protect our country!”
She says while her husband couldn’t hear the kids while he was in the ship, as far as the kids know, he did, and that was enough for her.
One officer’s act of kindness surely brought smiles to a family who was having a tough time. It just goes to show how one small act can mean so much.
See the kids’ sweet goodbye to their dad in the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
