JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Videos of military homecomings are some of the most popular on the internet. This one, though, is different.
Yes, a child turns around and runs in total bliss to his dad, who’s been gone for about eight months on deployment.
“I turned around and I cried, and cried, and I ran towards daddy and I hugged him,” Kingston McGill said.
The moment was captured on camera and it's so heartwarming to watch:
But this military surprise is extra special.
Ten-year-old Kingston McGill can shout, “Daddy!” because the little boy has survived three aneurysms. Kingston McGill has a medical condition that causes vessels in his brain to tangle. It leaves his mom and dad on edge because the next headache could mean a rush to the emergency room and an uncertain future.
“We never know if he wakes up with a headache or if he’s not feeling well, is it something to do with his brain or could it be another aneurysm,” said Lt. Commander Jessie McGill from Naval Station Jacksonville.
No doubt, however, dad totally surprised Kingston McGill, who attends Seven Bridges School in Orange Park. Folks at the school planned the big surprise for him.
Students and staff there crafted the plot to keep Kingston McGill busy in class and have his grandmother, volunteering at the school, to ask him, “Do you want a surprise?”
“I said, ‘Yes. Yes!’” Kingston McGill said. “I thought it was going to be a toy."
The boy turned around and saw his father. He unleashed a squeal and a flurry of sobs and glued himself to his dad in a long hug.
“Makes me emotional just thinking about it,” Jesse McGill said.
It has been more than a year since doctors repaired Kingston McGill’s last aneurysm. The family is praying their son will have a happy, active future. Kingston McGill’s dream is to be a Navy Seal.
He’s grateful for the surprise reunion with his dad.
“I was happy he was home,” he said.
He is also grateful for the memories of that day.
“It was just so much fun,” he said.