Fort Bragg soldier surprises daughter at ceremony honoring military children

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Jaysha Young knows the many sacrifices military children make.

The honor student helps things run smoothly at home while her father, Sergeant Major Jamall Young, is away.

"He's missed a lot of my birthdays. Lots of my marching band events and awards ceremonies," said Young.

A Purple Heart recipient, Young has deployed five times. The family maintains as best as they can.

"In the 16 years of her life, he's been gone more than half of that time because of deployments," said Shadia Young, Jaysha's mother.

The PenFed Foundation heard of Jaysha's many accomplishments.

Jaysha, along with a few other military children, were honored for their resilience and determination.

During the program, the announcer stopped to make a special announcement.

Jaysha was there to receive an award for her grace and courage while her dad serves the country, but the reward was far greater than she imagined.

"He was like, 'there's one person who isn't on this stage,'" said Young. "I just started crying. I was so happy to see him. I hadn't seen him in a long time. It's always better to physically see him and physically be able to hug him."