(Water Valley, MS) Specialist Lee Woods of Southaven just got home from a year-long tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Thanks to “Go Jim Go,” we were able to capture the emotional reunion Thursday in Water Valley, Mississippi.
News Channel Three’s Jim Jaggers caught 9-year-old Kolby Woods completely off guard.
Kolby didn’t know his father was back from Afghanistan and wanted to make a surprise appearance,
“He’s right here, right now Kolby. Lee, can you come on out? Ladies and gentlemen, Kolby’s dad. Go get him Kolby, go get him buddy.”
And that’s just what he did.
While teachers and students at Water Valley Elementary cheered, Kolby Woods raced into his father’s arms for the hug they’ve both waited a year for.
This was the second reunion in one day for Specialist Lee Woods, a combat engineer with a National Guard unit in Houston, Mississippi,
“Can you give daddy a kiss? Can i have a kiss, please? (kiss) sweet girl.”
Thursday morning, he got to see his 2-year-old daughter Addison after being gone for a year.
Woods’ iPad is battered from his combat missions, “You can see the screen protector is kind of messed up from all the dust and stuff.”
But Woods said pictures of both his children helped him through his dangerous assignment in Afghanistan, “We had a route clearance mission which meant you ride up and down the roads in armored vehicles, approximately two to five miles an hour and look for IEDs in the ground. We dig them up and destroy them.”
Woods, his mom and step-dad had been trying to figure out a way to surprise Kolby.
So plans were made to reunite father and son during Jim Jaggers “Go Jim Go” stop in Water Valley.
The idea definitely was a success.
“Are you a little surprised Kolby?
Ha, ha, ha…is it a good surprise? Oh good, okay.”
Specialist Woods says he plans to spend time watching his daughter grow up and do some hunting and fishing with his son Kolby.