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Daughter accepts high school diploma from Air Force father

Graduations are emotional, but for senior of Sport and Medical Sciences Academy of Hartford, Alexis Smith is not crying because of her degree.

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By
Rebecca Cashman
, Roger Susanin
HARTFORD, CT — Graduations are emotional, but for senior of Sport and Medical Sciences Academy of Hartford, Alexis Smith is not crying because of her degree.

In fact, as Alexis approached the stage to accept her diploma, it was handed to father, an Air Force Master Sergeant on break from his duties in time to see his daughter's graduation on Friday evening.

"I missed her senior prom. I'll miss her eighteenth birthday. I'll miss her going to college, so they said this year you can come home for graduation," said Smith.

Sergeant Smith has been deployed since April, and while he is unable to stay for more than a few days, he told Eyewitness News that he couldn't miss this opportunity.

"I put this uniform on every day. I love it. This is my third deployment and I've missed a lot," said Smith. "I'm just grateful that they let me come home and be a part of this today."

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