All homecomings should be like this

Here's a neat story for Memorial Day from the Dayton Daily News: Rain delay doesn't dampen family's reunion

For every drop of rain there was a tear of joy for Capt. Jim Thigpen of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and his family.

Fresh off his second tour of duty in Iraq, Thigpen was reunited with his wife and two sons during an emotional ceremony after the second inning of Sunday night's rain-delayed Dayton Dragons-South Bend Silver Hawks game at Fifth Third Field.

Thigpen's wife, Kim, and sons Jacob, 11, and Caleb, 5, were guests of the Dayton Development Coalition, which sponsors the Dragons' "Hometown Heroes" program. They had no idea that Jim also was there.

Kim, Jacob and Caleb stood in front of the Dragons' third-base dugout, watching as the video board played a greeting from Jim. The screen went fuzzy and the announcer apologized for losing the satellite feed.

Suddenly, Jim emerged from the first base dugout and circled behind home plate. As cheers rose up from the fans, Kim spun around, saw her husband and they sprinted to each other.