Everything you want to know about what it’s like to be a father you can find in the expression of Chuck Van Gordon, who was at Detroit’s Comerica Field last night when a birthday video message from his daughter, Melissa, was played on the video board.
![Video grab from MLB.com](./../../../files/2016/08/detroit_1.jpg)
She’s in the Army and has been deployed overseas a number of times since she joined up in 2013, taking her oath outside the stadium on her mother’s birthday.
It was all a little much for Chuck.
![detroit_2](./../../../files/2016/08/detroit_2.jpg)
Now you know what happened next. Everyone knew what was going to happen next. Chuck didn’t know what was going to happen next.
![Video grab from MLB.Com.](./../../../files/2016/08/detroit_3.jpg)
What happened next was that moment when your heart is sort of broken, and then it’s not. That moment when your kid shows up.
![Video grab from MLB.com.](./../../../files/2016/08/detroit_4.jpg)
We’ve seen these things a thousand times. It never gets old.
![Video grab from MLB.com.](./../../../files/2016/08/detroit_5.jpg)
Chuck’s daughter has been in Iraq for the last nine months.
She’s home for good now and ready to start her civilian career. She’s a teacher.
Here’s the whole video.