As the big day arrived, local photographer Lauren Mills decided to give a behind-the-scenes glimpse as her nieces, Audrey and Vera along with her sister, Kristen welcomed Master Sergeant Josh Wendling home.
I’ve always seen people do videos and I thought it’d be cool to show the emotions [military families] go through,” the Lexington photographer said.
Mills relayed that her husband, Derek Mills, drove the family to the airport as she captured lots of smiles, preparation and anticipation as her sister and nieces get ready to welcome the soldier home.
The video embedded below captures the family’s first moments together in five months.
For Wendling, Mills’ brother-in-law, the deployment was his third of his career but had one key difference. “This last time was my first with kids,” said Wendling. “It’s definitely harder.”
Wendling, a firefighter with the 179th Airlift Wing, stated that he was returning along with 16 other local guardsman from deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“I was just thrilled to see them,” the Lexington High School alum and Mansfield resident said. Wendling added that he had been able to stay in contact using FaceTime but that the application did not do justice to actually seeing his family in person.
We won’t spoil it, but what happens when the family arrives at Cleveland Hopkins airport is simply heartwarming.
Video courtesy of Lauren Mills, L.A. Photography. See more of her work here: http://www.laphotography.co
Welcome Home- The Wendling Family from lauren mills on Vimeo.
