A Florida schoolgirl was surprised at her high school graduation ceremony when the father she hadn’t seen in a decade, an Army staff sergeant, appeared on stage in uniform after returning from South Korea.
Kayla Tillman, a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in South Florida, was asked to come to the stage where she and her family were thanked “for the sacrifices you have made to defend our freedom.” Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Tillman was then introduced.
The South Florida high school senior got a surprise when her father stepped onto the stage, prompting sustained applause at the commencement ceremony.
The two hugged for a long time as the whole auditorium gave them a standing ovation. Tillman, a tank commander, said he had only been able to see his daughter via the internet for the past 10 years.
