‘I love him more than anything’: U.S airman pulls off surprise of a lifetime for Andover HS grad brother
ANDOVER, Kan. (KWCH) - Soon-to-be Andover High School graduate Tristan Gibbs got the surprise of a lifetime when, for the first time in months, he was reunited with his older brother, Joshua, a U.S. airman.
It was a routine pre-graduation moment for Tristan as he walked through his former elementary school, just days before he accepted his diploma with classmates in the Andover High School class of 2025. The sentimental walk through the halls where his academic journey began took an exhilarating turn when he saw a face he hadn’t seen in nearly half a year.
Joshua, serving in the U.S. Air Force, told his younger brother he couldn’t make it home for his graduation. The unfortunate news was a ploy to catch Tristan off guard for the surprise of a lifetime. As the soon-to-be graduate walked in a line through the elementary school, Joshua jumped in. The brothers embraced in a moment that Tristan said he could hardly believe.
“I mean, it was just shocking because he like jumped out of nowhere, and he was very loud as he always is,” Tristan said.
The brothers hadn’t seen each other in five months.
“I thought like, if anybody deserves a moment like that, it’s him,” Joshua said.
Tristan didn’t believe that Joshua would be back for his graduation, let alone arrive early. He said it’s hard to explain how much it means to him to have his big brother here for the big moments.
“Having him here for it definitely helps make it mean something,” Tristan said of his graduation.
Joshua said he couldn’t think of a better way to show some for his younger brother.
“Often times, when things got hard during training, I thought of him, and every time I see somebody after not seeing them for a while, he always hugs me the hardest,” Joshua said of Tristan. “I love him more than anything and you know, we’re brothers, but more than that, we’re best friends. So, getting to surprise him means more than anything else to me in my entire life.”
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