Soldier Returning Home Meets Baby Boy For First Time
Jan 31, 2019, 12:23 PM | Updated: 12:25 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Members of the Utah National Guard on Thursday returned home to their loved ones after nearly a yearlong deployment to the Middle East..
The reunion happened at the Roland R. Wright National Guard Base in Salt Lake City, where one soldier met his 8-month-old son, Henry, for the first time.
“It’s an amazing feeling that I’ve been waiting for for a very long time,” said Sgt. Gavin Hansen with the 65th Field Artillery Brigade, also known as “America’s Thunder.”
Having left in March 2018, the guardsmen’s mission was in support of Operation Spartan Shield assisting CENTCOM in maintaining its military posture in Southwest Asia.
It was a deployment the Hansens weren’t planning for when they decided to have another baby boy.
Gavin Hansen said he’s been looking forward to seeing and holding his son for a long time.
“I was able to watch Henry be born via Skype,” Hansen said. “Now seeing him, he’s just a lot bigger than what I was expecting.”
In total, 100 soldiers will return home from the brigade. The second half is scheduled to arrive Thursday afternoon. Their arrival will be streamed on the Utah National Guard Facebook page.
