Photo By Capt. Christopher Biddie | Sgt. 1st Class Billy Hopson (left) stands beside his son Pfc. Ethan Hopson at Camp...... read more read more
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait- It had been over a year since Sgt. 1st Class Billy Hopson, a maintenance supervisor assigned to Task Force Odin in Afghanistan, had seen his son Pfc. Ethan Hopson, an intelligence analyst with the 1st Sustainment Command (Theater). Through a series of fortunate events the two briefly reunited May 16, 2016 at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
“I didn’t think this day would happen,” said Sgt. 1st Class Hopson. The last time the two were together was at Pfc. Hopson’s advanced individual training graduation. Afterwards, the two were separated when the younger Hopson received orders to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina - 1,300 miles away from his father in Ft. Hood, Texas.
Earlier this year, Pfc. Hopson discovered he would deploy for the first time in his Army career to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Coincidently, his father was already in Afghanistan on his seventh deployment.
The two were able to spend quality time together, as the elder Hopson came through Camp Arifjan on his way to take mid tour leave. Sgt. 1st Class Hopson usually declines to take advantage of mid-tour leave due to the emotional toll placed on his family in Texas.
“It’s tough to come home only to leave again,” said Sgt. 1st Class Hopson. However, this time it was different; Sgt. 1st Class Hopson knew he could spend some quality time with his son. He just needed command approval to travel to Camp Arifjan before departing to Texas.
In the closing hours of a sweltering May evening, Sgt. 1st Class Hopson received the approval allowing him to reunite with his son in Kuwait. This meant the father-son duo had four days to rekindle their relationship.
Pfc. Hopson and his father have a great deal in common. Their resemblance is astounding; both stand tall with an air of confidence and pride packaged neatly in close fitted uniforms. They went to the same high school, they both were in the Boy Scouts, and now they currently serve in the U.S. Army together, albeit for different reasons.
Pfc. Hopson, a fifth generation Soldier, joined the Army because he said “it’s family tradition…I always knew.” His father, on the other hand, said he joined to help “support a growing family.”
Beyond these two, Pfc. Hopson’s grandfather served in Vietnam, and his great-grandfather served in WWII. One of his great-uncles served in Korea as well. Uniquely, Pfc. Hopson, his father, and his grandfather all wore the 1st TSC patch during their tenure in the Army. Though the patch unites them in a bond of brotherhood, they also share a bond of family.
| Date Taken: | 05.18.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.14.2016 07:22 |
| Story ID: | 203920 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 119 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Deployed Soldier reunites with father in Kuwait, by CPT Christopher Biddie, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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