Children look up to certain groups of people when they are young. For some, it is athletes, for others, it is firefighters, soldiers, or movie stars.
A young boy looked up to police officers.
The little boy is no longer called that.
After graduating from high school, he invited as many local cops as he could.
The reasons for inviting cops to his party were very personal.
He loves the police because his father was a police officer.
When he was six years old, he lost his dad.
The father collapsed while running.
He passed away from a heart problem, leaving his wife and three kids behind.
This was very hard on his family.
In the video below, you can hear his mom talk about how the incident affected the family.
She noted that it was difficult to watch her children grieve, knowing that there was no way that she could bring their father back.
Hundreds of police officers attended the funeral.
This had a huge impact on him.
He told Inside Edition that having the police officers come to his house for his graduation party was a way for him to feel like his dad was still with him.
Even though he sent out the invitations, he had no idea how many cops would show up.
To his surprise, eighteen officers pulled up to his house with lights on their cars and smiles on their faces.
They lined up in the driveway and shook his hand.
The teen had a surprise for the police officers.
He gave each one of them a party bag.
He gave them a gift that he made in his welding class.
The moment was special for all of the officers that attended the celebration.
Many of them served with the police force and missed their dad just as much as the rest of his family did. Spending time with people you know and love is a great way to make up for the loss of a loved one.
Dozens of people were able to honor a loved one at the party.
If you have ever lost someone close to you, be sure to honor them in the best possible way.
They can live on through you and the memories that you share.
The video below shows footage of the grad party when the officers arrived to honor his father. It is quite emotional.
