Paige Bennethum's dad is astonished with the overwhelming response provoked by a picture of his little girl holding his hand before he went to war.
"I have to say that I am in awe as to how, within the span of a week, a simple picture of my daughter and I spending as much time together as we can, has escalated to national news," Army Reservist Staff Sgt. Brett Bennethum emailed from Iraq.
His wife, Abby, snapped the now famous photo of Paige, 4, holding onto her dad with one hand and wiping her eye with the other as Brett fell in line with his fellow soldiers. Brett was leaving for Iraq and would be gone an entire year.
Abby sent the photo to her sister, who sent it to a newspaper. That's how the story behind the picture was launched and that's how a little girl from Berks County became a symbol of the cost of war on families. The Bennethums were deluged with emails, phone calls, even visits from complete strangers who wanted to know how they could help. Then came an invitation to appear on The Today Show this past weekend where Paige got to talk to dad.
"Sitting here 7000+ miles from home it is easy to forget that there are complete strangers who care about the troops, no matter what our job is or where we are, and that America is filled with good-hearted people who truly exemplify what it means to be American," Staff Sgt. Bennethum said, ending his email with his name and this motto:
"May the Dragon of life always roast your hot dogs and never burn your buns!"
