NEWS

Officers honor their fallen brother by escorting his teen daughter to her high school prom

Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

Prom is undoubtedly an important day in a young girl’s life. Everything has to be perfect; your hair, your makeup, and of course, your father taking pictures of you before you leave the house.

Unfortunately, some people have to skip a few of these things, and similarly, Aleena Kondek was forced to do without the presence of her loving dad…

Officer Charlie Kondek was a much-beloved member of the small police force in Tarpon Springs, Florida. In 2014, the officer responded to a run-of-the-mill noise complaint, but this one ended up very differently than usual.

When he arrived at the scene of the complaint, his life was cut short. While the police department was devastated, the people most affected were his wife Teresa and his children, which included his youngest child, his lovely daughter Aleena Kondek.

The mother-daughter tried to find solace in one another in the wake of their tremendous loss. And since Aleena’s prom was coming up, her mother wanted to make the occasion special for her beloved daughter and not allow her to feel her father’s absence too much.

She had an idea and consulted the authority at the police department her husband had dedicated his life to. She chose to talk to Major Jeff Young, who immediately agreed and conspired with his colleagues.

On the day of the prom, they all agreed to give Aleena an escort she and the town would never forget.

On prom day, Aleena dressed in her beautiful prom dress and found herself severely missing her late father. When she got off the bus at prom, she was greeted with a sight she did not expect.

An entire group of her late father’s colleagues were standing there, waiting to escort the young woman to the prom. But that was not all. The colleagues were holding a sign.

The sign read, “Charlie K… We Have Your Back,” with several pictures of the fallen cop on the poster and his badge. Aleena could not stop smiling at the gesture and said that seeing her dad’s colleagues made her feel like he was watching over her too.

Aleena had praises for the police department and the efforts her father’s old colleagues made for him

She said, “they always say, ‘never forgotten,’ and I totally believe that. They’re always texting me, ‘how are you doing?’ and they step in with things that my dad did, and they’re amazing. I love each and every one of them.”

This police department is honestly going above and beyond to make sure the family of their fallen colleague does not feel alone.

What an incredibly sweet gesture to help the teenager feel like her dad was with her on her big day.

What did you think of this story? Let us know in the comments and share this heartwarming tale with your friends.