Life in the military can take you far, far away from your loved ones. The bright side is that your family members are your only motivation to make it through your deployment every passing day. This is what happened when an army dad decided to give his son a surprise he’d never forget, and true moments like these are what we all yearn for. Freshman Ty Lucas, a running back for the Clemson Tigers, had no idea that his dad was back home.
He was busy preparing to take on Duke in Clemson’s Military Appreciation Day game. Just then, he saw his dad in a military uniform standing inside the tunnel leading to the team locker room. Captain Cody Lucas, the signal adviser for the 1st Security Forces Assistance Bridge in the U.S. Army, had returned home early after spending nine months in Afghanistan. He was eagerly waiting to see his boy play his first game ever. “You think I’m in Afghanistan right now,” he said into the camera. “I’m here to surprise you.”The father and son lost no time and were seen embracing each other warmly. After the teary-eyed embrace, the duo is seen high-fiving each other and hugging again. Ty, whose feelings changed from an expression of astonishment to utter joy, said, “It was a huge surprise. The best thing ever. I was not expecting it at all!”Ty also told WTVM, “My dad has been everything for me. From football to school to teaching me things about life. It’s just, he’s been everything.”Having your father in the stands to cheer you the very first time you play college football is indeed a special moment. It was no doubt an emotional moment for Ty and his family as he walked back to join his team. The presence of his dad, a serviceman, that day spurred Ty’s team as they beat Duke with a 35-6. The video has been shared on Clemson’s social media pages and netizens were quick to share their emotions. One user wrote, “These always make me cry! Thank you for your service CPT Cody Lucas.”“The look on that young man’s face when he spotted his dad; absolutely priceless,” another enthused user expressed.While another commented, “What a great moment! Love watching these videos! Thank you for your service.”We are sure that Ty considers himself indeed fortunate as not every army dad who is posted overseas is able to make it on the right day and at the right time.Be it a military mom or dad, folks in the army indeed have their cheeky little ways to create those incredibly special moments for their family. We thank all our army men for the sacrifice and commitment they have made to serve our nation.