Daniel Oglesby in formation during the middle of a homecoming ceremony in Colorado this past Tuesday, she made a run for him. A video caught Karis scurrying across the gymnasium in her sparkling gold boots and red, white and blue outfit.

When she got to her dad, he bent down and gave her a hug before nudging her to teeter back over to her seat. “I wasn’t worried about maintaining the integrity of the formation,” 1st Lt.

Oglesby, who recently returned from Kuwait, told ABC News today. “The homecoming ceremony is all about our families who’ve had to sacrifice eight, almost nine, months without their loved ones. I was so happy to see my awesome little girl.” Oglesby added that his toddler’s impulsive run for a hug “was a pleasant surprise.”

“I had left in February, and we were close, but I wasn’t sure how much she would remember me and what her reaction would be when I came back,” he said. “I was so happy that she was excited to see me — so excited that she couldn’t even wait for the quick ceremony to be over first.” The 33-year-old father added that he just came back in time for Karis’ birthday tomorrow. She turns three.

“If you thought she was excited to see me, just wait until when we go to Chuckie Cheese or the North Pole tomorrow,” he said. North Pole is a local amusement park in Colorado Springs. Oglesby has a four-year-old daughter named Layla, and he said his girls and their mom “are going to be the bosses around here” for the next few weeks. “Whatever I can do to make up for the lost time, I’ll do,” he said. “Whatever they want, I’ll get it for them.”