Returning soldier surprises granddaughter at Chili’s in touching footage: 'Can I sit here?'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A touching moment between a returning soldier and his granddaughter warmed the hearts of everyone at a North Carolina Chili’s on Friday night.
Petty Officer First Class Virgil Kiger, of the U.S. Coast Guard, was filmed surprising the little girl inside the Winston-Salem restaurant after returning home from deployment in Papua New Guinea, WXII reported.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the footage, Kiger, 58, can be seen tapping his unsuspecting granddaughter on the arm before asking, “Hey, can I sit here?”
The girl then whips around, gasps, and stands silently in disbelief before breaking into tears and going for an embrace.
“Pawpaw!” she yells, throwing her arms around him.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We are so excited to have him home," Kiger’s stepdaughter, Brittney Hendrick, told WXII. She added that Kiger will likely remain home for the holidays.
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Kiger, whose unit is based out of Fort Eustis, Va., was previously stationed in Guantanamo Bay for a year, WXII reported. He has served his country for 26 years.