Dad on leave surprises young son in classroom.

NBC's Today (and the rest of the NBC morning line-up) is running tape of a father who's home from Iraq.. and he "surprises" his very young son in his classroom.

I find this incredibly hard to watch. In this (and the other times I've seen this kind of "surprise") the child runs into his Dad's arms and dissolves into tears of joy and relief. It is clear how hard the separation has been on this baby who can't possible have a real understanding of why Daddy's "away"... just that Mom is nervous and there is no such thing as safe.

It is especially hard to watch when you know that he's only going to be home for a week, or two.. and then he will be gone again, and the pain will be re-inflicted.

Or at least when I saw the broadcast.

that scene are going on all over this country, how many deployments can these families endure.

Factor in the appalling numbers of suicides; those babies will never again have any arms to run into.

How anyone can think we need to continue this occupation is beyond me.

Remember - the Republicans are the party of "family values." They also decry single-parent (i.e., single mom) households. Just try and keep all that straight in your head.

He'll be gone for 7 months when he leaves. I hope he makes it back in one piece.

My niece would cry all the time and when her dad would call she would cry and tell him to "come home, daddy" and "she hates the Navy". My other nephews, 2 cried at the drop of a hat, 2 remained stoic, the last one was born in July so he just got to meet his father for the first time. TV has to be monitored, otherwise war news would add to the problems. The family hid away in a cabin for a couple weeks when he returned just so the kids could have him all to themselves. I'm hoping to see them all next week for Thanksgiving.

And that's why they film and show the stuff, so we can empathize and identify with the subjects of news product NBC is selling. After all, unless people feel some connection, how can GE continue to gouge Defense on sustained procurement cash flow?

It's "good news" and I have no problem with looking hard for "good news" stories to tell.

But as a boy who experienced the same thrill when my father twice returned from Vietnam, I also lived in the daily dread that I'd learn my father would not be returning, or would be returning recovering from injury, as he was the first time.

Don't suppose NBC would have taken their cameras into the classroom if the father had lost a leg, or suffered massive head injury, or wasn't coming home at all. That would be important footage which might actually make a difference in the United States under the Jethro Bodine presidency of "naught-naught" to "naught-eight".

But the "feel good" stuff is okay too.