Celebrate Memorial Day with These Soldier Homecomings [VIDEO]

While it's nice to have a three day weekend, it's important to keep in mind why we have this three day weekend. Memorial Day is a time to stop and reflect on the thousands of men and women throughout the years who made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of our country. Fortunately for the friends and families, a majority of troops who serve overseas do come home and when they do, the joy can be felt by everyone.

The website, WelcomeHomeBlog.com is a website dedicated to videos of soldiers reuniting with their loved ones. Debuting in June 2010, the site has reached over 174 pages of videos. Here are a few of the my favorites:

Mother's Day Surprise

A plan shrouded in secrecy for nearly two months, a U.S. Marine Lieutenant Corporal surprises his mom while she's teaching students in the computer lab in her school. I'll admit, this one got me a little choked up.

Captain Dad - The Best Avenger

This one became viral mostly for the video itself, but also for the fact that someone at Disney saw it and invited Captain Kevin Camarata and his son Chase to the premiere of The Avengers at the Tribecca film festival a few weeks ago.

Daddy's Surprises Daughter

After serving a one-year tour in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Master Sargent, Joseph Devine came home to be with his family of wife Kathryn, a 7-year old son, and an 18-year old daughter. The son went with mom to pick dad up at the airport while their daughter, captain of her school speech team, was participating in a speech meet. As she finished up a speech, a faculty member brought her back out to the stage for the big surprise. She may forget what her speech was about, she'll never forget how it ended.

Grampa Gets Caught Off-Guard

I like the reaction "Grampa Dick" has when his grandson Adam shows up at a family barbecue after being deployed in the Air Force for 14 months.

 

A Soldier's Best Friend

It's not just wives, kids, mom's, and grandpa's who are excited to see a loved one return home. Even the family pets have a hard time containing their excitement. This particular video became a viral hit a month or so back and features Ranger, a German Shepherd playing fetch who finds a nice surprise as he returns with his squeak toy.

For even more heart-warming reunions, check out WelcomeHomeBlog.com.