A soldier who lost his last remaining family members while in basic training emotionally broke down when his “new family” recruits rushed to tap him out when he had nobody at his graduation.
Sergiy Lugovy, 36, is originally from Ukraine, and joined the U.S. Army in November 2024, wanting to make his family back home proud.
During basic training, he was awarded trainee of the cycle and honored with having the best marksmanship in the company.
But a few weeks before his graduation, Sergiy received the devastating news his family had passed away in the Russia-Ukraine conflict back home, leaving him as the last member of his family.
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The 36-year-old, who was looked up to by his platoon, didn’t tell anyone about his loss, but as his name was called out five different times for award nominations on graduation day, Sergiy wished his parents could be there to see his success.
Things then really hit home, during the tapping out ceremony at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, on February 22, when family members touch a soldier to be released and to enjoy the moment.
At that point all the emotions of the previous weeks came out, Sergiy said, and as his colleagues saw his tears, they all headed over to tap their brother out and share an emotional hug.
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He said: “There was no-one to tap me out, and I crashed out with all those feelings of not being able to show my family how much I worked for them to be proud of me.
“My battle bodies saw me breaking down and they rushed to me to tap me out.
“I realized though I couldn’t share the moment with my family, I shared it with my new one.
“Every person in the video is my new family member for whom I keep working hard to motivate and make them proud.
“It was sentimental and unique feeling to share.
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“After this video was posted on social media, I had a split-second moment of thinking that I didn’t want people to see me crashing out.
“But then I realized that there is so much more, and this could motivate people in the same situation to keep pushing and find a new focus.
“I also believe the army can give a new family to everyone and help them find their new purpose in life.”
