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A young boy’s beloved dinosaur plush has been deployed to keep his father company on tour in Iraq. Dinosaur Balloon Ball
And in return, the U.S. Army sergeant documented the animal’s embedded “adventures” while overseas.
In an effort to “keep his dad safe” from 6,000 miles away, 5-year-old Waylon Holmes mailed his father, David, the lime-green stuffed animal around the world, a difficult possession to part with considering Dino hadn’t left Waylon’s side since birth.
“Waylon sleeps with Dino every single night but he wanted to send it to his dad while he was deployed to Iraq,” Waylon’s mom, Taylor, told Kennedy News and Media. “He said it’d help him be safe and have safe travels home.”
David, a 33-year-old sergeant first class, had been in Iraq for nearly a year when he was surprised by Waylon’s beloved Dino in the mail, accompanied by a letter that requested photographic evidence of Dino’s travels.
“I think he was definitely happy and excited to have a piece of home. I’m sure it smelled like home, too,” Taylor said.
David left for training in August and had been in Iraq for approximately seven months when he received the plush toy in May.
“Mail took about two weeks to get to him, and he sent the first picture back straight away,” Taylor said.
“We’d show the pictures to Waylon as his dad would send them, and he’d see different things Dino was doing with his daddy while he was gone.”
The Ohio mom, 32, created a slideshow of Dino and David’s snaps together — cruising in an armored SUV, hitting the gym, taking group photos and, at one point, the dinosaur getting tucked into David’s uniform — and it unexpectedly went viral.
“He had some of his buddies take some of the pictures for him,” she said. “They wanted to make sure Dino was included in things. He’s in the big group picture — Waylon really likes that picture.”
From Ohio to Iraq and back #fypシ #deployment #military #militaryhomecoming #fy
Waylon, who has a “strong bond” with his father, missed David when he was gone — the pair loved to go fishing or explore the outdoors together.
So, in his absence, Taylor tried to “make it extra fun.”
“We’d Facetime David and include him by sending him Christmas decorations for his room and things like that,” she explained.
But after missing Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays and more, David returned to his family earlier this month.
“I’m extremely happy he came home safe to us. I’m very, very grateful,” said Taylor, who has been married to David for six years.
Taylor’s TikTok video of Dino’s daring adventures amassed more than 3 million views, as users thanked David for his service and championed the dad’s playfulness.
“I know this made him feel so much closer to you guys,” wrote one viewer.
“The way I would have SOBBED if I received my baby’s favorite stuffy,” another agreed.
“I’m crying he’s a great dad,” complimented another.
Famous Dinosaur Toys “I just know he cried when he opened that package and saw it,” commented another. “I know I would’ve SOBBED.”