The Bender family hadn’t seen Brock Bender in two years.
Now a corporal in the Marine Corps, he enlisted after graduating from Goshen High School and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. And when his younger brother, Bryce, was set to graduate, he worked with his mom to give his brother the surprise of a lifetime. Brodie, the middle son, was originally supposed to be surprised as well, until his mother let the plans slip to him.
As Bryce walked across the stage to receive his diploma, his brother Brock walked up, wearing his dress blues. As the audience cheered, Bryce ran past the faculty members to give his big brother a hug. Also surprised was the Bender patriarch, the boys’ father Doug, who raced down to the stage to hug his son for the first time in two years. And for Bryce, it was the perfect gift for his graduation — according to his mom, every time she asked what he wanted for graduation, it was for his brother to be home.
And this lucky grad got his wish.