When I deployed overseas, my son Jaylen was just six months old. For eighteen months, I watched him grow through video calls and photographs. The day I came home, I wasn't sure if he would remember me.
As I walked through the airport terminal, my heart pounded. Would he know who I was? Would he be afraid of this stranger in uniform?
Then I saw them—my wife holding our boy, now almost two years old. Jaylen's eyes met mine, and something magical happened. He reached out his little arms and said the word I'd been dreaming of hearing: "Dada."
That moment, captured in this photograph, represents everything I fight for. Not medals or recognition, but the simple privilege of holding my son, of being present for his life, of showing him what it means to be a man who keeps his promises.
Every night since, I've tucked him in and told him the same thing: "Daddy will always come home to you." It's a promise I intend to keep, no matter what.
Being a father isn't about being perfect. It's about being present. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. It's about letting your children see your strength and your vulnerability. That's the legacy I want to leave.