Graduation day is one of the best days of life for many students but for Tyler Solomon, it was something else!
Missouri’s Marshfield High School senior could have never guessed how great his graduation day would actually be.
Tyler walked towards the stage, shook hands with Principal Robert Keuther and received his diploma from him, just like the rest of his 335 class-fellows.
But then, Keuther told him, “Hold one sec.”
The young man wondered why he was asked to wait by the Principal but then he saw something which raised the joy of his graduation to a completely different level.
It was Tyler’s father, U.S. Army Sgt. Damon Solomon, crossing the football field of the school and approaching the stage in his military uniform.
Tyler had not seen his old man since the start of the year. Solomon climbed the stage and embraced his son while the crowd applauded.
“I said to him, ‘Do you honestly think that I was going to miss this?” Solomon later said in an interview to ABC News.
“There was no way I was going to miss this.’”
“I was really surprised, shocked and awed,” Tyler responded. “It was the best graduation gift I could ever get.”
Solomon was a helicopter crew chief in Kosovo and was serving his 5th tour of duty in Eastern Europe since January.
The soldier wasn’t due home for the next 6 months, but he made some quiet arrangements for attending the graduation day of his son.
No one in the family knew that Solomon had taken special leave for returning home. The entire family was surprised like Tyler.
But none of them were prouder or happier than young Tyler, who was able to mark his greatest life achievement so far with the man whom he admired the most.