Soldier surprises younger brother at school

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PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla.- A Port Charlotte student got the surprise of a lifetime when his older brother, a U.S. soldier, showed up at an unexpected place.

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School held a September 11 prayer service Friday morning. For sixth grader, Caleb Bayne, 9/11 hits close to home as his brother Jacob Bayne, is a U.S. Army sergeant.

“Before he joined the Army, I was upset the day he went, but it just gets better and better,” said Caleb Bayne.

Friday, the U.S. soldier made a special appearance at his younger brother’s school, marking the first reunion between the two in almost a year. The brothers had been apart for so long, Caleb hardly recognized him.

“It meant a lot to see the look on his face, and I could tell when he first saw me, he didn’t recognize me at first. And then he looked at me surprised, realized after a couple of minutes it was me,” said Jacob Bayne.

The Army sergeant says the surprise took a lot of sneaking around, “I had to be really quiet putting my uniform together while he was sleeping.”

The soldier says the moment of seeing his brother again was well worth the wait. Sgt. Bayne is on a three day leave from the military. He plans to spend his weekend catching up with his family.

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