Gary Barnes is a war veteran. For decades, he lived his life not knowing that he had a daughter somewhere in this world. And when he received the good news of her existence, this changed his life in the most beautiful way possible.

This 78-year-old veteran received the best gift he could ever hope for. Barnes is a Vietnam veteran living in California. Ever since he had vowed to never have children and he stayed true to that promise until he got a call that would give him a change of heart.

The next thing he knew he was already welcoming his daughter in his arms in a reunion he will never forget for the rest of his life.

When he was a young man, Barnes was asked to serve in Vietnam, as like the other men during that time. And during his service in the Southeast Asian country, he spent his time in the neighboring nation, the Philippines.

Like other lonely young soldiers, Barnes sought out the company of women. This led him to meet a lovely Filipina. Unfortunately, he had to leave her when he was called back to service. And that would be the last time he’d ever see or hear from her again.

Unknowingly, Olivia Robles, 50, is on a mission of her own. It all started when she submitted her DNA test to Ancestry.com. The only reason why she did it was to learn her true ethnicity. She knows that she was born in the Philippines and her mother is a Filipina, but she never knew much about her family’s life or the lineage before her, especially on the side of her father.

To her surprise, her submission came back with an unexpected match to a “distant cousin.”

Olivia reached out to this cousin and after some exchanges, they were able to trace her connection back to a man living on the other side of the country – Gary Barnes!

When Barnes received a proposition to undergo a DNA test through a phone call, he was hesitant at first. But he got curious to know if Robles really is the daughter he never had.

Talking to WTSP, Barnes said, “For individuals who have always had their parents all their lives, it’s just something a lot of people really take for granted. You have that longing.”

When the results came in, Barnes is really Robles’s father. So the two didn’t waste any time. They met in person when Robles flew to California. She was a bit nervous and a bit emotional too. Imagine not knowing your father your entire life and through modern technology, you would find and finally meet him 50 years later!

Barnes hugged Robles as tightly as he could as soon as she exited the gates.

Robles didn’t just gain a daughter, but three grandsons and a great-grandson as well. The newly reunited family is all excited to make up for lost time and spend Christmas together with Robles’ family in Tampa.

Barnes is now becoming a huge part of this family, in fact, he was given the honor of pinning his grandson’s first badge – grandfather to grandson, one soldier to another. Something that he surely is very proud of!