The Rest of the Story

(get your hankies ready)(stuck topside till midnight EST)

How many of you remember this photograph that went viral back in September/October? The little girl who wouldn't let go of her daddy's hand as he stood in formation, deploying soon to Iraq.Well, here's the rest of the story. Said little girl, Paige, and daddy Sgt. Brett Bennethum are hometown locals. (I don't know him, but know some of his relatives).

And Saturday he finally made it home. So now there's a new, updated picture :)

from The Reading Eagle (this is such a cool story for Valentine's Day):

Big smiles replace Laureldale girl's downcast gaze seen around world
Subject of famous photo welcomes her dad home from Iraq

By Dan Kelly
Reading Eagle

Paige Bennethum screamed with glee and leapt into her father's arms.

"Daddy!" the 4-year-old declared as she wrapped her arms around her father's neck.

Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Brett M. Bennethum had been traveling for three days trying to get home from Iraq, where he has been deployed since June.

He made it to Atlanta on Friday night, but his commercial flight from there to Philadelphia was canceled because of a winter storm.

He was supposed to arrive home in Laureldale on Friday night.

He didn't get home until about 9 p.m. Saturday.

But he said it was all worthwhile when he opened the door and heard Paige's voice.

Paige and her dad made national headlines after a photo of her refusing to let go of her father's hand went viral on the Internet in October. The photo was snapped by Paige's mom, Abby, as her husband stood in ranks preparing to deploy to Iraq in June.

Sgt. Bennethum said he still can't believe how much attention the family photo got. A copy of the picture is blown up on the couple's living room wall.

"We have friends in Germany who called and told us they saw it," he said. "People would come and knock on my door and say they just saw me and Paige on Yahoo! or some other Internet site.

"I was talking to some people in the airport while I was waiting for my flight and I asked them if they had seen the photo and they had.

"It's everywhere."

Sgt. Bennethum is home for 15 days. One of the first things he's going to do is get a good, thick steak.

Paige said she has other plans.

"I want to play hide-and-seek," Paige said.

"I just played an eight-month game of hide-and-seek," the proud father said.

"I missed you, Daddy," Paige said.

Paige's younger sister, Lena, 14 months, stared wide-eyed at her father. Abby is about eight months pregnant with their third child.

"I like your Army costume, Daddy," Paige said. "It's just like mine."