(Above: Lt. Nadd comes home a hero)
Ever soldier deserves a hero’s welcome.
Charles (Chuck) Nadd is the son of immigrants who came to the United States in the 1980s in search of the American Dream. He was born in Florida and raised with a strong sense of pride in America. Some of his earliest memories include his parents taking the oath of citizenship when he was about five years old.
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he was inspired to defend our country.
He enrolled at West Point and graduated in 2011, then made his way to Ft. Rucker, Ala., the Army’s flight training base, to train to become a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. He graduated flight school in February 2013 and was deployed shortly thereafter for an 8-month mission to Afghanistan.
On Jan. 8, Army First Lieutenant Nadd got to come home — and what a homecoming it was.
Chuck had been told by his commanding officer that he would be flying to Florida to speak to the VFW. When he got to the airport, he expected to see his girlfriend, Shannon.
What he didn’t expect was to be greeted in his hometown by an entire ticker-tape parade in his honor.
He was stunned.
Lt. Nadd was led through his hometown by marching bands, the VDW motorcycle club, firetrucks and the famous Budweiser Clydesdales.
When he saw his mom, who had flown in from Alabama, toward the end of the parade, he almost couldn’t contain himself.
“He has always been patriotic, happy to be American,” his mom, Agnes Nadd, said proudly.
“I think it’s a neat opportunity for America to think about the folks coming home and everything folks have given up to get to this point,” Lt. Nadd said. “So many have given so much more than me. They’re the real heroes… Those with 2, 3, 4 or more deployments, those seriously injured, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our amazing Republic — those are the real heroes.”
The story of how the parade came to be is a combination of American pride and marketing brilliance.
Chuck’s girlfriend, Shannon Cantwell, nominated Chuck for the surprise homecoming parade through the VFW. Budweiser had partnered with the VFW to coordinate the homecoming, and planned to use the footage as part of a year-long marketing campaign encouraging consumers to honor America’s military men and women.
Budweiser had originally planned to create a 30-second ad from the footage shot at Chuck’s parade, but once they saw the finished product, they decided to extend it to 1-minute.
The ad, now titled “A Hero’s Welcome,” will air during the Super Bowl.
“Both Chuck and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity,” said Shannon Cantwell. “We hope that it will inspire communities across America to salute our men and women in uniform, who daily give of themselves to defend our freedom. We especially want to thank those veterans who have served in Afghanistan and those who will be returning home in 2014. America owes you a debt of gratitude for your service. Thank you.”
Shannon is also serving her country, but in a different way. She works for Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., as a Legislative Correspondent and Deputy Press Secretary.
Her boss was as surprised and excited as she was when he heard Lt. Nadd had been selected.
“This is a great story and a well-deserved welcome home for 1st Lt. Nadd,” Sen. Shelby told Yellowhammer. “I know that Shannon is very happy to have him back from Afghanistan, and that many others pray for the safe return of their loved ones. All who have served and continue to serve, as well as their families, merit our deepest gratitude and respect for their sacrifices for our country.”
A 5-minute mini-documentary of how the parade came together can be viewed below.
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
