By Talbert Toole
Lifestyles Editor
talbert.toole@hottytoddy.com
If distance truly makes the heart grow fonder, then one canine’s heart was bursting at the seams Friday, March 15 when his soldier owner returned home after thirteen months.
Sgt. William Pettey returned home from deployment to the Middle East with the Mississippi National Guard’s 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) to find his furry best friend, Zeus, overwhelmed with affection.
When Pettey left to begin his training with the ABCT, Zeus was 18 months old. The Petteys were nervous about Zeus seeing Pettey for the first time considering he had been absent from almost half of his life, said Sophie Jernigan Pettey, his wife.
“We thought Zeus wouldn’t remember Will and would growl and act defensively,” she said. “As Zeus rounded the corner of our house, he saw Will, put his ear back and ran into Will’s arms. Zeus has been extra needy since Will has been back home.”
The couple said they were excited that Zeus remembered who Will was after such a long time.
Will said the realization he was finally coming home after being deployed did not come to fruition until he was on the airplane home.
“I was hit with a plethora of emotions,” he said. “When I was finally able to see my wife at the flight line, I knew it was finally over and I was home.”
Sophie, an Ole Miss Law School student, said she was nervous when she initially found out the dates of her husband’s return due to her externship; however, she was able to take the day off work and meet him at the Air National Guard base in Jackson, Mississippi.
“I had so many butterflies until he ran behind the flight line into my arms,” she said. “Thirteen months was definitely worth the wait for that special moment.”
Now that he has returned home to his wife and furry best friend, Will said he plans to take the next month of leave to spend as much quality time with his wife as possible and begin studying for the Law School Admissions Test.
Once he receives his degree, he plans to continue his career in the military as an officer in the United States Army.
The 155th ABCT has been deployed to the Middle East since July 2018. All of the soldiers in the brigade are set to return back to the states from deployment by the end of the month after going through demobilization, which is expected to take approximately 14 days.
