At least that’s what 2-year-old Karis Oglesby thinks. Rules simply don’t matter when it comes to love. Especially, when it involves being with your loved ones. She didn’t think twice about running out in the middle of an Army homecoming ceremony to greet her dad, regardless of protocol. Karis’ dad and his fellow soldiers were all standing arm-to-arm in formation at the homecoming ceremony at Fort Carson, Colorado. Karis hadn’t seen her dad in eight months.
All of the men and women in uniform had been away from their families, exchanging their lives for a paycheck and rank in the army. Instead of embracing their family members, who also had to sacrifice in their absence, protocol required them to wait and stare at them in silence while a superior spoke over the loudspeaker. She spotted her father and was so overjoyed to see him that she ran out of the crowd, passed a superior officer, and into her dad’s arms.
“Cara, she made eye contact with me in the crowd and decided she wanted to say hello a little early so she ran up and gave me a big hug and I just returned the hug back to her,” her dad First Lt. Daniel Oglesby said. Karis missed her dad a whole lot and couldn’t wait to give him a big ole hug. t “She was excited. She spotted me from a couple of rows back. She couldn’t contain herself, and I wasn’t going to tell her no. Happy to see her,” dad told news reporters. Dad did have to think twice though.
He said he had to decide whether or not it was “good practice to break formation.” He never came to the conclusion about what was or wasn’t good practice. He just threw it to the wind. Oglesby didn’t have the heart to not give his daughter a hug. So, he bent over and have her a hug and kiss on her forehead. He gave her one final squeeze before getting her to go back to sit with her family. Karis ran back to her mom with her arms outstretched and jumped into her arms. It was a happy reunion for the family and the little girl who couldn’t wait one moment longer to hug her dad.
Dad returned just in time for to celebrate his daughter’s third birthday with her. The local news captured the hilarious moment and posted it on their Facebook page where it was viewed 5.1 million times. “It is so beautiful, So glad bless her heart, so innocent, Just want to see her Dad,” one commenter wrote. “Take any soldier. He or she is out there to protect many families. What about a soldier’s family then? Go ahead girl, your Dad is a hero for all and an angel for you. Cuddle him and say thank you for coming home,” said another.