Bretteny Buetow wanted her children to give one last goodbye to their father, Petty Officer 1st Class Josh Buetow. Their four year old daughter, Riley, and two year old son, Austin, yelled their goodbyes while jumping up and down along the shore to his departing ship.
Their goodbye became extra special when a police officer stopped by and let them use his PA speaker to say their goodbyes.
Riley and Austin’s dad was leaving for deployment on the USS Carl Vinson for about six months. They had given their dad a personal goodbye the night before but their mother, Bretteny, drove them to Shelter Island to say another goodbye to their dad and his ship on the day of his departure.
They were yelling their goodbyes when officer James Weaver spotted the family.
“I figured there’s no way he’s going to hear their voices at least 50 yards away … I thought I’d give them a chance to be louder and give their voices a chance to be heard by their dad,” Weaver said.
Weaver was a Navy kid himself and knows firsthand how hard it was too have a parent leave on deployment.
“It’s hard because, especially when you’re younger, you don’t realize what’s going on. All the sudden, Dad’s gone … I know what it’s like to not have your dad there. With two little kids of my own, I can see how hard it is on the other side, being the parent,” Weaver said.
Four-year-old Riley jumped at the chance to say goodbye to her father over the PA speaker.
Riley told her father “bye daddy” and “we love you” over the PA speaker. Riley was excited to use the PA speaker but younger brother, Austin, was a bit apprehensive about the volume of the speaker. Officer James Weaver made a hard day turn into a happy occasion that the Buetow family will not forget.
This was Josh Buetow’s first deployment.
This was hard on Bretteny as well, but like all mom’s do she put her own emotions in check for the sake of her children. Yet, once officer James Weaver came over to let them speak over his PA speaker, she was not able to control her emotions any longer.
Bretteny stated, “I had held it together really well until they started saying goodbye, and the tears just started. He didn’t have to do that. It was really kind of him to pull up and try to make it special.”
When Bretteny Buetow was asked if her husband was able to hear his children, which he did not, she responded with the best mom answer.
“As far as they know, he heard them,” she said.
Bretteny Buetow posted on Facebook about the emotional experience and gave her thanks to officer James Weaver. The post quickly went viral was picked up many different news sources. She posted about her experience because she wanted to show everyone a positive story in a world that can be very negative.
One simple action by an officer made a hard goodbye a little easier for the Buetow family.
Watch the inspiring story right below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
