Ohio Military Father Takes Sons Toy Dinosaur On A Wild Adventure Before Returning Home

A 5-year-old boy named Waylon Holmes decided to send his father, U.S. Army Sergeant David Holmes, his beloved lime-green stuffed dinosaur, Dino, while he was deployed to Iraq to keep him company and safe.

Despite the difficulty of parting with the toy he had never been separated from, Waylon wanted to do what he could to ensure his father's safety from 6,000 miles away.

Dino Mail

“Mail took about two weeks to get to him, and he sent the first picture back straight away,” Taylor, Waylon's mother, said.

In return, David, a 33-year-old sergeant first class, documented Dino's travels around Iraq and even had some of his buddies take pictures of Dino participating in activities like driving in an armored SUV and working out at the gym.

David was away for nearly a year before returning home to his family, but the viral slideshow of Dino's adventures and David's playfulness showed how much his service was appreciated by users on TikTok. Taylor, David's wife, is grateful that her husband returned home safely and expressed her thanks for his service.

The Viral TikTok

The Happy Mother

Taylor, David's wife, is grateful that her husband returned home safely and expressed her thanks for his service.

“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.

“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.”

“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.

Cheerful Comments

Taylor’s TikTok video of Dino’s adventures gained more than 3 million views, as users thanked David for his service and championed the dad’s playfulness.

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