A military veteran was left stunned on his birthday when he opened his front door to meet his battle buddy he hadn’t seen in eight years.
Matt Trout, 49, from McKinney, Texas, became close friends with Von Jennings, 46, when the pair served in the United States Army’s 82nd Airborne Division together.
Having met in Advanced Individual Training (AIT), Matt, Von and their group were asked if anyone wanted to join 82nd Airborne, with only three people raising their hands, they said.
Matt and Von were next to each other at the time, and what followed was a strong friendship, with the pair serving in the Middle East in the early 2000s and living together throughout their time in the military.
With Matt and Von now back in civilian life, Matt’s son, Zach, said all he would hear was “Von this and Von that,” so he knew he wanted to reunite the friends once more.
Zach, 18, made plans with his mom, contacted Von, bought his tickets, and then collected his father’s battle buddy from the airport.
Then, on October 10, Von approached the front door and when Matt then opened the door, Von stuck out his hand to give his old pal a handshake, with Matt standing frozen in shock.
The 49-year-old then received a huge hug from his friend, which caused Matt to let out an expletive at just how shocked he was.
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Zach said: “After my entire lifetime of hearing ‘Von this’ and ‘Von that,’ I was finally able to bring Von to his front door.
“My dad’s always struggled with a few back problems because of the Army, but that night, he was moving like he was still on active duty.
“He has done so much for me over the years, that this was honestly the least I could do.
“Watching them catch up and relive their past together over that weekend was truly unlike anything I’ve seen before.
“Right after the video ended, Von shook my dad’s hand with an 82nd Airborne Challenge Coin.
“If presented a challenge coin from a service member while you don’t have your own coin on you, you must then buy the service member a drink.
“Alongside the drinks and the stories told, they watched a lot of football.
“Luckily, our family’s Chicago Bears beat Von’s Washington Commanders.”
