Family savors Easter Sunday with soldier, headed back overseas



MILWAUKEE -- On Easter Sunday, many families head out for Easter Brunch after church services, and for one family, Easter Brunch was extra special, as they spent it with their soldier, who is headed back overseas.

The staff at the Brookfield Suites Hotel has been planning for Easter Brunch all week. Officials say Easter serves as not only the kickoff to the brunch season, but also, the kickoff to the wedding season. Buffet items at Sunday's Easter Brunch included turkey, pasta and omelets, among other favorites, and over a thousand showed up to take in the food and hospitality this Easter Sunday.

Daniel Jackson savored every moment Sunday morning. Jackson is a non-commissioned officer for the Army National Guard, and finished up his two-week leave in Brookfield Sunday morning. Jackson is now headed back to Kosovo. "We actually came down last night and stayed in the hotel, and I'm basically headed for the airport when we leave here," Jackson said.

Jackson left behind his wife Jenny, along with their six-and-a-half month old daughter, Lauren. Lauren was just six weeks old when Jackson was deployed back in November. "I'll be home just in time for one year - the big "one" birthday," Jackson said.

Jackson says his family are the people who keep him motivated, and on Easter Sunday, he savored every second he was able to spend with his loved ones, and thinking about the good things waiting for him when he returns from Kosovo.

Jackson is five years away from retiring from the Army. He will return to the United States in November.