thedrifter
04-08-09, 07:55 AM
Parents take Kewpee to Marine son on way to Iraq
Comments 5 | Recommend 5
April 7, 2009 - 7:37 PM
Greg Sowinski
Published April 8, 2009
LIMA - With a Kewpee hamburger in a sack, a camera in hand and two hours of sleep, Jeff and Kim Howard left for the Detroit airport to see their son before the Marines shipped him to Iraq for a second time.
"He said he will be in Detroit, would you guys come up and see me," Jeff Howard said. "He said, ‘Man, I would love to have a Kewpee.'"
The meeting was supposed to take place Saturday night but a delay in the flight put their son, Cpl. Scott Howard, in Detroit at 6 a.m. Sunday.
The Howards, along with their other son, scrambled to make arrangements to see their son, including obtaining gate passes because they didn't have tickets to fly, a requirement to get through the gate.
"It's amazing how accommodating these people were. They tried to help us out the best they could," Jeff Howard said.
But even with all the help, the reunion almost didn't take place.
"The pilot said they didn't want to let any Marines off the plane because they're running so late. We thought we were sunk," he said.
After some arm-twisting by the pilot, their son and another Marine, whose pregnant wife was waiting with them, were allowed off the plane for 45 minutes. Standing nearby was the flight crew watching the emotional moment as two families reunited with their Marines, he said.
"It was just a chance to talk to him, hold him and give him a hug," the father said.
It meant the world to the Howards especially because they've only been able to see him several times since he entered the Marine Corps three years ago.
"My day starts every day reading online to see if there's any casualties over there. If you have someone over there that's what you think about all the time," he said.
After leaving his parents, Scott Howard took the day-old Kewpee and three dozen cookies his mother made and boarded the plane. A short time later his parents found out how much their son enjoyed the Kewpee.
"When we were leaving the airport, I got a text message and he said, ‘Man, I just ate this Kewpee and it was awesome,'" Jeff Howard said.
The proud father said his son has been a big fan of Kewpee since he was a child. The two would stop at the Kewpee on the way to church each Sunday.
During his first tour in Iraq, Scott Howard, a 22-year-old graduate of Elida High School, could occasionally call home and when he did he always mentioned wanting a Kewpee, his father said.
Scott Howard has just more than a year left in the Marine Corps and is scheduled to be in Iraq until November. His parents are hoping he gets out in time to see the birth of his first child. His wife is due Nov. 23, Jeff Howard said.
Ellie
Comments 5 | Recommend 5
April 7, 2009 - 7:37 PM
Greg Sowinski
Published April 8, 2009
LIMA - With a Kewpee hamburger in a sack, a camera in hand and two hours of sleep, Jeff and Kim Howard left for the Detroit airport to see their son before the Marines shipped him to Iraq for a second time.
"He said he will be in Detroit, would you guys come up and see me," Jeff Howard said. "He said, ‘Man, I would love to have a Kewpee.'"
The meeting was supposed to take place Saturday night but a delay in the flight put their son, Cpl. Scott Howard, in Detroit at 6 a.m. Sunday.
The Howards, along with their other son, scrambled to make arrangements to see their son, including obtaining gate passes because they didn't have tickets to fly, a requirement to get through the gate.
"It's amazing how accommodating these people were. They tried to help us out the best they could," Jeff Howard said.
But even with all the help, the reunion almost didn't take place.
"The pilot said they didn't want to let any Marines off the plane because they're running so late. We thought we were sunk," he said.
After some arm-twisting by the pilot, their son and another Marine, whose pregnant wife was waiting with them, were allowed off the plane for 45 minutes. Standing nearby was the flight crew watching the emotional moment as two families reunited with their Marines, he said.
"It was just a chance to talk to him, hold him and give him a hug," the father said.
It meant the world to the Howards especially because they've only been able to see him several times since he entered the Marine Corps three years ago.
"My day starts every day reading online to see if there's any casualties over there. If you have someone over there that's what you think about all the time," he said.
After leaving his parents, Scott Howard took the day-old Kewpee and three dozen cookies his mother made and boarded the plane. A short time later his parents found out how much their son enjoyed the Kewpee.
"When we were leaving the airport, I got a text message and he said, ‘Man, I just ate this Kewpee and it was awesome,'" Jeff Howard said.
The proud father said his son has been a big fan of Kewpee since he was a child. The two would stop at the Kewpee on the way to church each Sunday.
During his first tour in Iraq, Scott Howard, a 22-year-old graduate of Elida High School, could occasionally call home and when he did he always mentioned wanting a Kewpee, his father said.
Scott Howard has just more than a year left in the Marine Corps and is scheduled to be in Iraq until November. His parents are hoping he gets out in time to see the birth of his first child. His wife is due Nov. 23, Jeff Howard said.
Ellie