The brave members of our Armed Forces miss out on a lot during deployments. Major milestones often occur while they are gone. It is heartbreaking, but it also makes for some exciting reunions.
As every parent knows, time doesn’t stop for anything. Army Captain Michael Collins was serving in Iraq when his daughter Tyrae was scheduled to graduate from high school in El Paso, Texas. He had at least nine months left on his deployment, but he found a way to show up and surprise his graduate!
“It’s pretty important what we’re doing in Iraq too so they had to weigh that and finally they decided that they could let us go for a week or so to come,” Captain Collins said.
Tyrae and her siblings were shocked to see their father as they weren’t expecting to be reunited for months! Other graduates and their families were lucky enough to witness this emotional moment as this hero was greeted with joyful tears.
“I’m really excited. I didn’t expect him to be here at all. When I saw him I was overwhelmed,” she said. “It was the best graduation gift I could receive.”
Collins traveled halfway around the world to be there to see his baby receive her high school diploma. He is immensely proud of his daughter who was a cheerleader and a member of student council. It’s rough being a military brat and moving around often. Her dad was gone for long periods of time during her childhood, but she adjusted well.
“This young lady has worked so hard her entire life,” Captain Collins said. “Being a military kid, it was kind of tough. We moved around a lot and she didn’t get to stay in the same spot for long,” he said.
Video of their emotional reunion is below.
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Source: El Paso Times
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