A Utah man who recently returned from a deployment in Afghanistan had a wonderful surprise for many of the student-athletes he coaches at a Layton high school.
On Monday, students at Northridge High School were informed they would be listening to a guest speaker. But, moments later, Andrew Olson, a captain in the Army National Guard and football and basketball coach at the school, burst into the room. He was instantly swarmed by a group of teenage boys, at least one of whom jumped over a table to embrace Olson.
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"He loves them. They’re like his little brothers or kids," Olson’s wife, Tina, told ABC’s “Good Morning America."
"He’s a tough coach, very stern and expects a lot but I think it helps the kids respect him because they know he does it from love,” she added.
"He set a great example by committing to serve our country."
Aaron Tanner, one of the boys in the video, told the news station Olson “set a great example by committing to serve our country."
Tanner also said the serviceman, who spent five months in Afghanistan and is a father of two boys, has “taught [him] so much about hard work and commitment.”
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“He showed that he really cared about my team and their success," he said.
Tina said her husband is “amazing” and added that he is “a great guy, best dad and sexy husband."
