Navy veteran choked up after finding his childhood home after 47 years — it reminded of his late dad

An old family home carries meaning that never fades — the connection to that space often remains sharp, pulling at one's heartstrings even decades later. According to a study by Sage Journals, houses become "second bodies" through inhabitation, carrying memories in two ways: first, by embodying and animating the memories of past and present inhabitants; and second, by reflecting social histories through their design. That deep memory surfaced for one man, Patriotic Kenny, who was out on a road trip to look for the family home. Kenny's family filmed and shared the video on his Instagram @patriotickenny. As they drove through a stretch of country road, the man eyed the surroundings from the passenger seat.

"We’re driving up here to see my old house, where I used to live," he said, looking out the window. Not long after, he began pointing to small changes in the landscape. "Right in here where this is, Amanda [his daughter], they used to have a slide, like an amusement park," he noted. He slowly tried to match memory with what had changed. "Oh, what a difference, Amanda. The big station... and the Dollar Store?" he exclaimed, sharing that he had lived there in the late 1970s. "I hope I can find this place, Amanda. It would be nice," he said, emotional.

As the car was driving past his town, old memories of it came rushing in, and he kept noticing the differences, "Oh, see, that was never there. Oh my goodness. Keep on going," he said. Moments later, he passed by old boards and called out, "See there?! I remember them old boards I nailed on there for the fence! STILL THERE! I fenced it, too! For the horses! I forgot to tell you that," he added. When they reached closer to the lane of the old house, he said, "This is it. The very first house on the left-hand side." As soon as he saw it, he was beaming with excitement. "Yeah, that's it! That's it, Amanda. Oh, it’s junk now. That’s it! And the deck is still on! We built that deck. That’s the house," he said, his voice breaking.

Looking past the home and into the open land behind it, he continued. "It was ten acres back there I had." He explained that he and his father "started all the framework" and framed the entire house. He also pointed out that they "had a beautiful double fireplace." When asked if it was wooden, he didn’t hesitate. "OH YES. I would have no other!" The home had been ordered from a catalog, and they had built it together from the ground up. "My dad, he always helped me. We helped each other. And stacked all the wood, everything," he said. But as he looked again at the condition of the property, saying, "Oh boy… he’s a junk dealer. It’s all wrecked. It was never like that, Amanda. Believe me," he said.

The moment resonated with many viewers, who shared their own emotions and memories in the comments. @lorin.lambert.2020 wrote, "Oh, how fast the tears started rolling when he got choked up seeing his house. Such a beautiful human being." @imun4gvn2 commented, "Kenny just warms my soul! Always living his memories as if they just happened! I love hearing all of them!" @nanavauthor noted, "It is always bittersweet when I drive to my childhood city and home. I can hear the excitement in his voice." @green_gtx1955 said, "I love his enthusiasm, like that of a teenager, and his dad and him being so close to each other, a beautiful thing."

You can follow Patriotic Kenny (@patriotickenny) on Instagram for more vlog-style content.