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..."
Mauriana thanked Milwaukee Lutheran High School for helping coordinate the surprise.
The emotional reunion has reached millions online, warming hearts across the country.
