A Texas high school senior was moved to tears when his Navy dad—who had been stationed overseas—flew from 17 hours away to surprise him at his graduation ceremony.
On June 4, an hour before the Brackenridge High School graduation was going to begin, volunteer staff informed graduation coordinators that the father of one of the seniors, Petty Officer 1st Class David Castillo, had just arrived at the Alamo Convocation Center in San Antonio from his Navy post in the South China Sea.
Dressed in his uniform, Petty Officer 1st Class Castillo spoke to staff about surprising his son, David Randy Castillo, as he was about to receive his diploma.
“Randy had already come to grips with the idea that his dad would not be able to see him walk the stage,” Laura Short, chief communications officer at San Antonio Independent School District, told The Epoch Times. “The decision was made to let the surprise happen before the start of the ceremony, so Randy would know his father was proudly cheering in the audience during his milestone moment.”
The graduation team then worked with communication staff to set the plan into motion.
Before the emotional reunion, Petty Officer 1st Class Castillo was interviewed by staff backstage.
Randy was then brought onto the arena floor, where staff asked him how he was feeling prior to his official graduation ceremony. Expressing his excitement, Randy shared that some of his family members were going to be present, including his aunt and brother.
When staff asked Randy if his dad was going to make it, the senior said: “Sadly, he isn’t here; he’s in the Navy, [so he’s] overseas right now.”
Staff then asked Randy to turn around. On doing so, he sees his father smiling. After Randy’s initial shock, the two share a heartfelt embrace in front of the cheering assembled audience.
“The reaction of the Brackenridge High School Class of 2024 and the crowd gathered was phenomenal,“ Ms. Short said. ”Everyone burst into applause and cheers once father and son locked each other in a bear hug.
“Since the school district has a family culture and San Antonio is known as Military City USA, we knew the crowd in attendance would fully appreciate being part of this special reunion.”
“OMG you can see all the pieces in his heart just coming together. whew this is beautiful!!!” wrote one social media user.
“Awesome memory he will treasure. Congratulations!! Many blessings on your new Journey,” wrote another.
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