A deployed soldier returned home to surprise her younger brother at his high school graduation in an emotional reunion caught on camera.
Wisconsin's Milwaukee Lutheran Middle and High School shared a video clip of the special moment between graduate Kalen Barksdale and his older sister Spc. Barksdale of the Wisconsin National Guard's 2-127th Infantry Battalion in a Facebook post on May 25.
In the video, Kalen Barksdale steps up onstage to receive his diploma before an announcer tells the audience, "Excuse me, I'm being told that we have a small problem, so we have to figure out where his diploma is. We have every diploma except for one."
Kalen Barksdale and the audience then wait for a staff member to "take a look" before they declare over the loudspeaker, "I think we got it."
The announcer adds, "Sometimes the most important deliveries take a little longer than expected, especially when they're coming from so far away."
The camera then pans to Spc. Barksdale, who is standing near the back of the venue and is heard saying into a microphone, "To my brother, I will cross the ocean a million times for you. I praise God for bringing me home to you safely for your big milestone. Congratulations, Kalen Barksdale. I am so proud of you."
The camera follows Spc. Barksdale, dressed in her military uniform, as she walks toward the stage, holding her brother's diploma and a bouquet of flowers for him.
When she reaches the front, Kalen Barksdale steps off the stage and gives his sister a big hug, lifting her into the air.
Milwaukee Lutheran wrote in the Facebook post caption that Kalen Barksdale hadn't seen his sister his entire senior year of high school while she was deployed.
The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in 2025, spanning several countries in the Middle East, according to the Wisconsin Army National Guard.
ABC News has reached out to Milwaukee Lutheran Middle and High School for comment.
