Soldier's father speaks out after video of grieving widow meeting casket on tarmac goes viral



OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma -- A soldier's homecoming was caught on camera by a passenger on a plane in Raleigh, North Carolina. They were told to wait, and let someone get off the plane first. They soon learned it was a fallen soldier -- returning home for the last time.

The heartbreaking video shows the wife of Shawn Thomas, a Woodward, Oklahoma native walk up slowly and place her hand on her husband's casket. It was a moment that touched everyone on the plane.

"The people on the airplane stayed on until they unloaded Shawn and they said everyone on the plane had tears. Very touching," David Thomas, Shawn's father said.

David Thomas said his son had served four tours in Iraq and three in Afghanistan.

He lost his life in a rollover accident in Niger.

David Thomas said the family attended memorial services in Fayetteville, North Carolina, saying goodbye to a true American hero.

"It's definitely the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I'm very proud of him and I'm going to miss him," David Thomas said.