Airman arrives just in time for daughter’s graduation

Prom season might be over, but for many, graduation is just around the corner.

For Taylor Crafton, a student at Grand Forks Central High School in North Dakota, her graduation was more than just stepping into the next phase of her life.

Crafton’s father, Chris, a chief master sergeant in the Air Force, wasn’t expected to attend the ceremony. The family even had a cardboard cutout of him made to sit in his place, WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks reported.

But the surprise came as Taylor was about to receive her diploma — her dad ran to join her on stage.

“I’m just so happy he’s here. Better than a car. Better than anything. So yeah, that’s all I wanted for graduation,” she told WDAZ.

Since Taylor was three months old, Chris has gone through nine deployments.

“For a total of about 1,782 days to be exact,” Chris said. “I’ve missed a lot, you know, birthdays, Christmas, that kind of thing, so I just tried my best to get here for when she graduated. This is my last deployment so I had to make it happen,” he said.

Currently working in Southern Command, Chris has been deployed in Cuba. He is expected to return to Cuba later this week.

Watch the happy moment by clicking here or by clicking the image below:

(Image still from WDAZ-TV video)