Tearful Reunion of Marine and Cheerleader Daughter

Marine Jeffrey Potter gives his daughter, Kayleigh, a kiss after he surprised her Sunday during a Farmington Rockets pre-game show, where she was introduced as a cheerleader. (Screenshot: WDIV video)

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Eight-year-old Kayleigh Potter broke into tears Sunday when she saw who was waiting on the 50-yard line to watch her season debut behind the pom-poms as a cheerleader for the Farmington Rockets.

It was her U.S. Marine Corps dad, Jeffrey Potter, who surprised his daughter at her first cheering event, WXYZ, Channel 7, reports. It had been two months since Kayleigh had seen her dad, who gathered her in a long embrace before a cheering crowd gathered to watch the Rockets take on the Livonia Orioles.

“It’s hard being away from her, but coming home and doing things like this is worth it sometimes,” Potter, who is stationed in Virginia, told WXYZ.

When she saw her dad, Kayleigh “just ran straight to him and gave him a huge hug,” she told WJBK, Channel 2, “I miss him very, very, very much!”

Potter, who enlisted in the Marines in 2001, planned to go swimming and bowling with his daughter before he had to report back to his base.

The Farmington Rockets is a nonprofit group teaching football and cheerleading fundamentals to area youth for more than 50 years. In addition to teaching physical skills, the program aims to strengthen youths’ character with the values of good sportsmanship, teamwork, confidence, respect, leadership and courage, and build lifelong friendships.