A Navy dad went the extra mile to be there for his son’s graduation.
David Castillo, a member of the U.S. Navy, recently traveled 17 hours from the South China Sea to attend his son David Randy Castillo’s graduation from Brackenridge High School in San Antonio, Texas.
The San Antonio Independent School District captured the heartwarming moment, sharing a video on social media of the emotional father-son reunion.
“Get out your tissues,” they captioned the post. “We couldn’t hold back our tears.”
“I’m here to surprise my son, to be a part of something for his first steps in life,” David said at the start of the clip. “I just wanted to be here to support my son.”
In another scene, his son was asked if his dad would be attending, to which he replied, “Sadly, he’s not here…he’s overseas right now.”
That’s when he was prompted to turn around, and there, to his surprise, was his father. The two shared a sweet hug.
When asked how he felt about the surprise, the son wiped away tears and said, “I’m beyond happy right now.” Many viewers were equally moved.
“I’m not crying, you’re crying,” read one comment. “Congratulations!!”
Another social media user wrote, “So beautiful, God bless you and thank you for your service.”