• 7 months ago
A woman who had always dreamed of seeing the ocean for the first time with her brother before his shock death could not hold back her emotions when she and her uncle laid eyes on the huge body of water for the first time. Growing up in landlocked Oklahoma, Alicia, 18, and her uncle Darin Camp, 42, never got the opportunity to see the ocean. Alicia would often talk to her late brother about going to the coast together, which made what followed even more poignant. After her brother was shot dead in Wewoka, Oklahoma, in January, a devastated Alicia headed to basic combat training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where she remained for the months that followed. Darin and Gena planned to head to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to attend Alicia's graduation – and on that trip, Darin had his own plans to set eyes on the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. But when the couple discovered that other family members couldn't attend Alicia's big day, Darin and Gena decided to change their approach, having learned that Alicia had been given a day pass from base. They instead headed to a beach, Isle of Palms, that was closer, meaning that Alicia could travel with them to see the Atlantic Ocean and be back on time. As Alicia and Darin made their way toward the sands on April 11, Gena, 44, took out her cell phone and started recording. As soon as the 18-year-old laid eyes on the ocean, she immediately bent over with emotion, her hands on her knees as her uncle reassuringly put his hand on her back. The pair then headed to the ocean itself, where they took off their shoes and walked in the water – which Gena also captured on video.
Transcript
00:00 She waited a lifetime for this moment.
00:02 Oh my God, look.
00:04 Gina, you see the ocean?
00:05 There it is.
00:06 You see the ocean?
00:07 Oh!
00:08 Alicia and her brother grew up in rural Oklahoma and always dreamed of one day visiting the
00:13 ocean.
00:15 But unfortunately, her brother would never get the chance after he tragically died at
00:20 a young age.
00:21 So Alicia's family planned a visit in his memory.
00:25 Oh my gosh, there it is.
00:27 No, no, no, no.
00:29 No, but wait, it's not in me.
00:31 That's the ocean.
00:33 It's not in me.
00:35 Yup.
00:37 Oh, geez.
00:41 And it might have been a cloudy day, but it was nothing but sunshine on her and her brother's
00:50 lifelong dream as she stepped into the waves of life, making memories in honor of those
00:56 left behind.
00:58 (upbeat music)
01:00 (upbeat music)

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