A proud dad fought back tears of joy when he gave his son an emotional hug after he graduated from military school.
Yusuf Muhammad, 59, welled up as he embraced his son, Khalid, following his graduation from the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia – only the second time Khalid had ever seen his dad cry.
Khalid has always been interested in military service from a young age, having enrolled with the Young Marines when he was eight years old, and later being part of the Navy Sea Cadets.
As he grew older, Khalid wanted to undertake the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in college, Yusuf said, and he eventually opted to study at the Virginia Military Institute.
The four-year journey to graduation was tough, Yusuf said, with Khalid eventually being commissioned into the army and sworn in as a second lieutenant.
That swearing-in ceremony took place the day before Khalid’s graduation from CMI – and it was not until he walked across the stage and collected his degree that the moment truly hit Yusuf.
The emotional hug was captured on video on May 16, 2022, but Yusuf later shared the video on his social media channels in 2023, where it received a number of loving comments.
Yusuf said: “As I walked up to him to congratulate him, I was suddenly struck with overwhelming emotion – it literally came out of nowhere.
“I looked him in the eye and totally lost all resemblance of composure.
“Against many, odds he had graduated from his dream school and is now an officer in the finest army in the world.
“He later stated that he had only seen me cry twice in his life – once when my sister passed and that day.
“He thanked me and told me he loves me.”