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A heartwarming military homecoming is gaining attention online after a deployed sister gave her graduating brother the surprise of a lifetime.
Kalen Barksdale started his walk across the stage to receive his diploma from Milwaukee Lutheran High School in Wisconsin, only for a school official to pause and tell him that it was not there.
Initially dismayed, Barksdale soon realized his diploma was there after all and that his sister, Mauriana — who had been serving overseas — had arrived to deliver it.
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“My first initial reaction was embarrassment because that’s a huge milestone to achieve…” Kalen said, recounting the surprise on “Fox & Friends.”
Concern turned into surprise when Kalen learned the setback was “a setup for something greater.”
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Mauriana made her way down the aisle to the crowd’s cheers and applause while holding Kalen’s diploma. The siblings shared a warm hug when they met.
“There was a lot going through my mind at that time,” Mauriana recalled.
“[I was] so grateful to have been able to make it home because there was a possibility that I wouldn’t have been able to be here for that moment…”
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Mauriana thanked Milwaukee Lutheran High School for helping coordinate the surprise.
The emotional reunion has reached millions online, warming hearts across the country.