After nearly a year apart, U.S. Airforce Airman Gary Parrish is back home, reuniting with his wife Maria and their two daughters just in time for the holidays.
Maria ran into her husband’s arms at the airport, holding their youngest daughter, Abby. "Very nervous, happy that he is finally back," Maria said in Spanish.
Parrish spent six months stationed in Qatar before being sent to Utah for another four months. When he left, Abby was still crawling.
"It feels great. I can’t wait for her to actually remember me now because she knows me over FaceTime, but, you know, that six-foot dude comes out of nowhere. It’s like, who are you?" Parrish said.
The homecoming was emotional for his father, Gary Parrish, an Air Force veteran who said his son followed in his footsteps.
"Got my son to go into the Air Force because I loved it. Had lots of good times going to Germany. Now he’s getting ready to go to Germany, and he’s going to have lots of good times in Europe. So I’m very, very proud of him," he said, holding back tears.
But the surprises weren’t over. After leaving the airport, Parrish headed to Pelican Marsh Elementary School to surprise his 6-year-old daughter, Emily, in her kindergarten classroom.
Emily, who recently celebrated her birthday, ran into her father’s arms when he appeared.
"They've been on my mind for the past 10 months nonstop," he said.
The Parrish family is together again, ready to celebrate the holidays and make up for lost time.