COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A soldier who hasn't seen his family in months helped pull off an epic surprise with the help of Kennesaw State University.
First Lt. Charles Witkowski, an Alpharetta native, is an aviation officer in the U.S. Army. He has been serving in Afghanistan for the last several months and wanted to surprise his family when he was allowed to come home a little early.
“(I) thought it would be a good idea to surprise my sister on her one game she was able to come down to Atlanta and play,” Witkowski said in a video KSU posted on Twitter.
His sister, Lydia, goes to Hofstra University and plays on their softball team. The team took on the KSU Owls on Friday at Kennesaw State.
“It’s been about eight months. So, I’m going to surprise them and get home early,” Witkowski said.
As the players took the field, the announcer on the loudspeaker started revealing the big surprise.
“At this time, the Owls are proud to honor the sacrifices made by the entire Witkowski family by asking Lydia’s brother to surprise and join his family in the circle for today’s national anthem,” the announcer said.
As the announcer finished, Witkowski ran out of the dugout and took the field to surprise his family.
He first hugged his mother and then grabbed his sister as she burst into tears upon seeing her brother.
The family saluted as the national anthem played and then took a family photo together before Lydia Witkowski started a double-header against KSU.