No matter how far away someone you love is, you still want to take care of them.

And a soldier, I think, always needs a bit more care than most. So when five-year-old Waylon Holmes decided he needed to keep his dad safe and sound while he was stationed in Iraq, he came up with a special plan.

He took the one thing he prized more than anything and mailed it to his dad, nearly 6,000 miles away from their home in Ohio.

Waylon, and his mother, Taylor, mailed her husband, David, the little boy’s stuffed dinosaur. Waylon told his mother the dino would “help (Dad) be safe and have safe travels home.”

Waylon sleeps with Dino every single night but he wanted to send it to his dad while he was deployed to Iraq,” Taylor said.

With the little dinosaur tucked into a box, Waylon wrote a letter: ‘Send us pictures of Dino’s adventures with Dad.’

Waylon Holmes with his favorite plush dinosaur. The 5-year-old mailed it to Iraq to help keep his father safe while on tour. Photo courtesy of the Holmes family

Taylor said that David had no idea that Waylon was sending his favorite plush to him.” It was a complete surprise to him when he received it in the mail,” she said. “I think he was definitely happy and excited to have a piece of home. I’m sure it smelt like home too.”

David, a U.S. Army Sergeant, didn’t disappoint. He sent photos to Taylor of Dino hanging out with David in a bulletproof SUV, going with him to the gym and best of all, with him as he traveled home to his family. He had been deployed for training for more than a year.

“Waylon definitely has a strong bond with his dad. He loves doing everything with Dad, he’ll take him outdoors and let him work on the house and work with tools and take him fishing. He missed doing all that when he was gone,” Taylor said.

From left: Dino ready to be mailed to David Holmes; David with his son’s dino plush; dino in a bulletproof vehicle in Iraq; and dino enjoying some exercise time with David.

The couple, who also have a two-year-old son, Henry, have been married for six years. Earlier this month, with the help of dino, David made it back home safely to his family.

 I’m extremely happy he came home safe to us. I’m very, very grateful,” Taylor said.

She was surprised, too, she said, that her TikTok video of dino’s adventures got so many views. “I wasn’t expecting the video to go viral, I was really shocked,” she said.

The video got more than 3 million views, with commenters moved by the boy’s kind gesture.

“I know this made him feel so much closer to you guys,” wrote one viewer.

“The way I would have SOBBED if I received my baby’s favorite stuffy,” another agreed.

“I’m crying he’s a great dad,” complimented another.

But getting the response she did, made the family so grateful. “It’s definitely been nice to read all the comments thanking David for his service and all the kind words,” Taylor said.

We thank David for his service as well. Watch below for a look at the dino’s adventures with David.

Sources: NY Post | Daily Mail