A Hillcrest High School senior was given an extra special graduation gift Wednesday evening: a surprise visit from her military father, who has been on deployment for eight months.
Maj. Jason Garcia stood at the steps of the youth sanctuary at Taylorville Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa as he waited for his daughter, 18-year-old Elli Garcia, to emerge from an adjacent youth building. Friends, family and other community members also joined him, while clutching onto American flags, handmade signs and balloons.
The major has missed out on many of Elli's senior-year memories while on deployment, so it was important for him to have one moment with her that would make her feel special, he said.