Heartwarming footage captured the moment a soldier surprised her daughter ahead of her high school graduation after traveling 30 hours from Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.
The touching video, released by the U.S. National Guard, shows Jai Sisk sitting in a restaurant with her family while watching a congratulations video that her mother, Chief Warrant Officer Two Trina Sisk, prepared.
“Though I’m not there with you in person, know that I am always there. Whether I’m pushing you toward your goals, cheering you on, or catching you when you fall, I am always there,” Trina stated in her video message. “As you embark upon this next phase of your life, I am confident you would do so with the utmost poise, courage, and tenacity, which I know you to embody.”
“I am so lucky and blessed to be your mom. Congratulations on your graduation,” she added. “You deserve all the great things coming to you. I love you so very much.”
Once Jai finishes watching the inspiring and heartfelt message from her mother, she peeks to the right and is utterly shocked to see Trina in the restaurant. An emotional Jai springs to her feet and embraces her mother in a long bear hug.
The National Guard noted that Trina would be in town to witness her daughter receive her diploma before returning to “Camp Arifjan, Kuwait as part of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command’s Operation Command Post in support of Operation Spartan Shield.”
The Sisks’ reunion follows a number of inspiring graduation stories this Spring. In May, an 80-year-old woman graduated from the University of Nebraska Omaha some six decades after earning her first 40 credits at the institution, proving that it is never too late for one to pursue his or her dreams, Breitbart News noted. The same month, a non-verbal autistic valedictorian delivered a riveting commencement speech through text-to-speech software.