"Some things are just not allowed when soldiers are standing information. One of them is 4-year-old girls. However, there was nosoldier stern enough to pry Paige Bennethum of Laureldale, Pa. from herfather as he prepared to leave last July for a year-long deployment inIraq."
From Tom Henderson's Little Girl Can't Let go as Sergeant Daddy Leaves For Iraq (www.parentdish.com, 10/7/09):
Some things are just not allowed when soldiers are standing in formation. One of them is 4-year-old girls.
However, there was no soldier stern enough to pry Paige Bennethum ofLaureldale, Pa. from her father as he prepared to leave last July for ayear-long deployment in Iraq...
Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Brett Bennethum was preparing to depart fromFort Dix, N.J., for Iraq, leaving behind his pregnant wife and two little girls.His family was there to see him off. His commanding officer didn't havethe heart to tell Paige she had to let go of her daddy.
"I didn't want to let go of him," she told NBC Philadelphia...
Staff Sgt. Bennethum got a four-day pass so he could spend somequality time with his family and they could make the two-hour trip toFort Dix to see him off. Almost immediately upon arrival, hiscommanding officer ordered the soldiers to fall in.
"Gotta go," he told his family. But Paige walked up behind him in formation, grabbed his right hand and would not let go.
"I called her a couple of times, but she wouldn't budge," her mother said. She still wishes she was holding her father's hand.
"I just miss my dad right now," Paige told NBC.