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The little boy had cerebral palsy, and the doctor told his parents that he would never walk. But, in true American style, they never gave up hope.

U.S. Army soldier Austin Arledge was supposed to return from Afghanistan in August but decided to arrive early and keep it a surprise from his mom. Austin snuck around from a neighbor's house and ducked on the side of the house waiting to for his mom to come outside. Someone ran into the house and asked her to come outside and she was shocked beyond belief to see her son standing there and immediately began crying and screaming.

FULLTITLE: Two teenagers and life-long friends are the first students with Down Syndrome to be crowned homecoming king and queen in Florida For the first time ever, two high school students from Florida with Down syndrome were crowned homecoming king and queen. Travjuan Hunter, who goes by Bubba, and his queen Semone Adkins stood in a football field on October 11th in front of all their peers who cheered them on as they were adorned with crowns and handed bouquets of flowers. Bubba proudly wore a black tuxedo and Semone stunned in a floor length sparkly gray dress. The two...

The most coveted dresses for school dances this season show some skin. Cutouts, sheer paneling, high leg slits, short hemlines, and strapless tops are just a few of the popular styles that students are wearing. But showing up in one of these types of dresses meant that some students weren’t allowed into Bingham High School’s homecoming dance. On Saturday night, about a dozen students were denied entry into the dance at the South Jordan, Utah, school. While officials gave the girls who were wearing dress-code-breaking outfits the option to change clothes or put on a sweater, a few decided not...

Homecomings are always emotional, and when they happen between soldiers and their pups, they are somehow even more heartwarming. Take a look at these 15 adorable dog-owner reunion moments.

Reuters reporter Mark Felsenthal reports that Sgt. Bergdahl's hometown in Idaho is cancelling its planned celebration. "Bergdahl's home town in Idaho has canceled plans for a celebration, city administrator says," reports Felsenthal on Twitter.

True story of the recovery of 19 US Marines Killed in Action on Makin Island in WWII and their return home to Arlington National Cemetery 58 years later.

Spanish man home from prison finds his wife mummified in bed Eduardo Ruiz grew concerned when he stopped hearing from his wife, Ángeles Fernández. But authorities refused to allow anyone to enter the home, despite complaints of an unpleasant smell in the area — until he managed a conditional release and broke in himself. A man in Spain came home from prison last week to find his wife mummified on her bed. Eduardo Ruiz, from the town of Ciempozuelos just outside Madrid, had not heard from his wife for a year when he complained to police in 2011. At the...

It can be a difficult time for many teens. But high school for Barbara Behlmann has been exhilarating. The 19-year-old has inspired her classmates at Hazelwood West High in St Louis - not because she was crowned homecoming queen or is a star cheerleader - but because she has Down's Syndrome. One of her teachers, Jodi Schutzenhofer, explained to STLToday.com: 'Unknowingly, Barbara has taught us all that nothing is impossible if you are willing to work for what you want.' As the website reports, Barbara was four-years-old when child welfare workers placed her in the foster home of Gary and...

A San Diego school district superintendent is praising a high school for choosing a lesbian couple to be homecoming king and queen but says he's sad that the school has received hate mail and calls since. Superintendent Bill Kowba said Monday that some of the hate emails and calls that Patrick Henry High School received were from people who are not residents of San Diego. Kowba says San Diego Unified School District rejects intolerance and he supports the decision made by students.

Two California high school students became one of the first lesbian couples crowned homecoming king and queen in the nation this weekend. Rebeca Arellano, a senior at Patrick Henry High School, was made the school's first female homecoming king when her name was announced Friday at a pep rally. "They were chanting my name and it was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had," said Arellano. Arellano's girlfriend, Haileigh Adams, who also attends Patrick Henry High School, was made homecoming queen at Saturday night's dance. "I was happier than when I won, my little Haileigh has just been...

A lesbian student has been crowned homecoming king at a Californian high school. During a pep rally at Patrick Henry High School in San Diego on Friday, the announcement was made about senior Rebeca Arellano. Rebeca's girlfriend and fellow student, Haileigh Adams, was nominated to be homecoming queen.

Skylar Johnson had not seen her father since last Christmas when she stepped on stage for her school's spelling bee on Friday. So when the moderator asked the nine-year-old how to spell 'sergeant', she was overcome with emotion when he appeared from behind the curtain. Staff Sergeant Therron Johnson and his little girl embraced for the first time in almost a year at Boca Raton Elementary in Florida An Avionics Line Supervisor with Charlie Company of the 1,111th Florida National Guard, Sergeant Johnson has been serving in Iraq for the past ten months.

Unruly Dance Crowd Gets Pepper-sprayed after Array of Fights October 10, 2010 - By PHILIP A. HOLMES - pholmes@sungazette.com As a homecoming dance was letting out at the Williamsport Area High School late Friday night, hundreds of students began fighting, creating riot conditions that took nearly an hour for city police and other officers to bring under control. "We were overwhelmed. That's the best way to put it," Lt. Tim Miller, the patrol supervisor in charge of the scene, said. "We were called there for a large disturbance. While en route, we received several calls from school officials there who...

10-year-old girl is brought to tears by surprise homecoming of her father. She thinks he is in Iraq! This short, 40 sec., video comes with a big time tissue alert!!

Staff Sgt. Jimmie Doyle, whose warplane crashed into the ocean off Palau in 1944, was given full military honors, along with a hero's homecoming, during funeral and graveside services Saturday at Lamesa. The location of the plane was unknown for 60 years, then found under 70 feet of water in 2004 by the BentProp Project that searches for soldiers missing in action. The plane and the crewmen still aboard were recovered in 2008, and Doyle's identification was completed earlier this year. His grandson, U.S. Marine Capt. Casey Doyle, recently escorted Staff Sgt. Doyle's casket from Hawaii to his hometown of...

There are currently 142,000 troops in Iraq, but some Hoosier troops are back on American soil. Stout Field was packed with hundreds of families Tuesday for a homecoming celebration honoring 170 soldiers. But these soldiers are also missing two of their own: Sgt. Gary Henry and Spec. Jonathan Menke. Henry, who was from Indianapolis, and Menke, of Madison, died in Baghdad last August after debris from an improvised explosive device detonation on an overpass fell onto their vehicle. The Castor family knows their son Gary is a hero. "He was quite an individual, touched lives that we'll never know," said...

Gabriel Hurles' celebrated his sixth birthday by unwrapping the best present ever - his father home on leave from Iraq. The youngster was so engrossed in the cupcakes his mother brought to his class yesterday that he didn't notice the enormous wrapped box. 'That's one big, giant present,' a classmate told him. 'See what you got, Gabriel.' The six-year-old peeled back the wrapping paper to find the surprise of his young life. 'It's my dad!' he announced joyfully to his classmates at Sutro Elementary School in Dayton, Nevada. 'Hi, Daddy!'

A group of 146 wounded warriors and their families are arriving at OIA (Orlando International Airport) this Sunday, 7 December to attend the 5th annual Road to Recovery conference. Veterans groups, service organizations, church volunteers and anyone who cares is invited to give them a “Heroes Welcome” as they arrive at the airport. Many did not receive this previous welcome as they went directly to hospitals for immediate care. A large group of 65-70 wounded will arrive on a dedicated flight sponsored by American Airlines from San Antonio at approx. 2:55 pm. Others will arrive throughout the day on other...

FAIRBANKS, ALASKA -- Gov. Sarah Palin returned triumphant to her home state Wednesday for the first time since she was named to the Republican ticket with John McCain, and received thunderous cheers as she promised 3,000 supporters: "I will do my best to do Alaska proud." Palin reprised many passages from her vice presidential nomination acceptance speech at the party's convention in St. Paul, Minn. But she steered away from explicit attacks on the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, instead gushing about her home state and its sudden role in the limelight. "It's going to be awesome to spend a...