Cherry Hill West 2016 graduate Dustin McGunnigle receive a surprise welcome home on Dec. 21 at Kaminski’s Sports Bar and Restaurant.
Kaminski’s Sports Bar and Restaurant on Brace Road in Cherry Hill was packed on the evening of Dec. 21 as dozens of people celebrated the upcoming Christmas holiday.
For family and friends of Dustin McGunnigle, however, their holiday celebration was extra special.
McGunnigle, a 2016 graduate of Cherry Hill High School West, enlisted in the Air Force just a couple months after graduation. He has spent very little time back home since then, with his last visit coming during Easter of 2017.
On Dec. 21, McGunnigle received a welcome home he’ll always remember as Operation Yellow Ribbon South Jersey organized a surprise celebration for him outside of Kaminski’s
The evening began with McGunnigle receiving a surprise visit at his home from Warriors Watch Riders, a group providing support to past and present military personnel and families. Warriors Watch Riders provides motorcycle escorts for military personnel visiting home. McGunnigle thought he was just going out to eat with some family and close friends and was shocked to see the motorcycles outside his house.
“I was confused,” McGunnigle admitted. “Usually, everything is nice and quiet. I just heard roaring. I was like, what’s going on?”
When McGunnigle’s car pulled into the parking lot of Kaminski’s, where dozens of family, friends and Operation Yellow Ribbon volunteers were waiting to greet him, he said a sense of happiness came over him.
McGunnigle has deep ties to the Cherry Hill community, having participated in wrestling and football during his time at Cherry Hill West. McGunnigle also participated in ROTC in all four years of high school. Two months after graduating from high school, McGunnigle enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He currently works as a crew chief, where he maintains F-15 Eagle planes. He was most recently deployed in Jordan.
Dustin’s mother, Susan McGunnigle, gushed with pride as she talked about her son and what he accomplished in a little more than two years. She also spoke excitedly about how Dustin would be promoted to senior airman on Dec. 30 and how he was considering taking the exam to become a staff sergeant in the near future.
“He’s mature, he’s responsible, he’s working hard, he’s moving up,” Susan said.
Dustin admitted he was shocked Susan managed to keep the welcome home celebration a secret.
“You actually surprised me for once in my life,” Dustin said during the ceremony. “It’s very rare.”
Even Susan wasn’t sure how she kept the welcome home a secret from Dustin, but recognized how important it was to honor him.
“I think it’s really important to really show how many people truly appreciate him,” she said.
Susan has been to a number of Operation Yellow Ribbon’s welcome home ceremonies. She began volunteering with the organization after Dustin enlisted and has loved every minute she’s spent with the group.
“I was always very involved in everything my son did, football, wrestling, sports, whatever,” Susan said. “All of a sudden, I can’t be involved in this part of his life.”
“I went looking for organizations to volunteer with,” she added. “I stumbled into (Operation Yellow Ribbon) and it’s been fantastic.”
McGunnigle received honors and proclamations from multiple organizations and politicians during the event. He also received a special gift from his favorite football team, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles sent him an autographed photo of his favorite player, Fletcher Cox.
“It feels great to be home,” Dustin said. “It’s nice to be back in my hometown. I know everything, know a lot of people.”
Dustin was planning to be home for about two weeks. There were a number of things he was looking forward to doing during his time back in New Jersey, but one thing topped them all.
“Getting some good American food,” Dustin said with a laugh.
