Videos of U.S. troops coming home and surprising their loved ones are all over the Internet, but for First Lieutenant Daniel Oglesby, he was the one surprised when his two-year-old daughter, Karis, ran to give him a warm "welcome home" hug as soon as she spotted him in the formation, in the middle of the homecoming ceremony. The homecoming ceremony was held on Oct. 6 in Fort Carson, Colorado.
First Lieutenant Daniel Oglesby was deployed back in February when the troops of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division were sent to Kuwait to support operations Spartan Shield and Inherent Resolve. Oglesby initially feared that Karis would forget his face while he was away but, when his daughter fearlessly scurried over in her excitement to have him back home, all his fears subsided. Ogleby said that he was not worried about breaking the strict formation when Karis ran to him. "The homecoming ceremony is all about our families who've had to sacrifice eight, almost nine, months without their loved ones. I was so happy to see my awesome little girl" Ogleby said.
Ogleby's wife, Kristine, revealed that Karis and her older sister Layla were moved by the book "Lily Hates Goodbyes" and that the girls had informed her that they will do what the little girl in the book did upon her father's return which is, as Karis did, run to give her father a hug. Kristine encouraged the girls with their plan but admitted that she was really surprised when her daughter actually enacted it, especially in the middle of the ceremony.
"But looking back, she has no idea what the ceremony means or what the restrictions are," Kristine said.
Oglesby revealed that Karis' birthday is on Oct. 7 and that he made it back just in time to celebrate his little girl turning three. He is also spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with his family.
"Having that reunion, it doesn't make up for the lost time, but it's definitely a sweet moment to finally be able to see them and embrace them again" Oglesby added.
