Back from Afghanistan, Father Surprises Daughter at Grace Graduation
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
WINONA LAKE – As she crossed the stage during Grace College’s commencement Saturday morning, Katherine “Katie” Graham knew she was getting a bachelor’s degree in English education. What she didn't know was that she would be met on the stage by her father, U.S. Army Major Billy Graham, who just returned from a tour in Afghanistan. Upon seeing her father walk onto the stage from his hiding spot, they hugged each other tightly, her graduation cap falling to the floor. Everyone at the ceremony stood up to give the reunited family a big round of applause. One of the graduates could be heard yelling “Thank you!” to Major Graham for his service. He brought Katie a bouquet of roses for the surprise. She loves flowers. Afterward, Katie said it was a total surprise. When she first saw him, she thought, “Oh my gosh! And cry!” “It’s a little overwhelming. Lots of emotions going on,” she said. Before the commencement, backstage, Major Graham spoke about the planning to pull the surprise off. He recently got back from a nine-month tour in Afghanistan, serving as the chaplain with the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Campbell, Ky., which is part of the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault. It was his third and final deployment. “I’m done. I’m still in active duty, still serving. I’m not returning to duty. That was the end of my tour,” he stated. Though he Skyped with Katie every week, he estimated he hadn’t seen her face-to-face since sometime before his deployment last summer. “We intentionally kept (my return) a secret. So many people were involved in the process. We even got her roommates involved. I can’t tell you all the intricate details we went through to keep her in the dark. There were some close moments,” Major Graham said. He went to school at Grace, so Katie grew up here when he was a student for six years, Major Graham said. He received his bachelor’s and master’s of divinity from Grace. “This is really special, it’s my alma mater. And it was her choice (to come to Grace). I didn’t ever have to bribe her,” he said. Katie is his oldest of three children, but he wasn’t sure how she would react to the surprise Saturday. “I don’t know with Katie. Sometimes she explodes all over the place, sometimes she’s reserved. I don’t know how she’ll act,” he said. His wife, other daughter and in-laws also were present at the graduation. Grace College is as much home to the Graham family as anywhere else. “With the Army lifestyle, I think we have lived four to five different places while she was in school. She often didn’t know where she was coming home to. And in college there’s a lot of anxiety. You know where you’re going to school, but you don’t know where you’re coming home to,” he said. “We just celebrated the Military Child Appreciation Month. Military children face enormous challenges, but they still succeed and do amazing things. Katie is just one of the millions who will do exactly that,” he continued, beaming with pride talking about his daughter. He confirmed he was pretty proud of Katie, “big time.” She is a second-generation college graduate, and was sold on attending Grace College pretty quickly when they visited it, he said.
