Michigan teen honors military with bracelet she's worn since she was 4

To most, astatine archetypal glance, Paige Workman's bracelet would look to beryllium thing much than an accessory.

But for her, it has a deeper meaning, a meaning that she’s kept adjacent since she was 4 years old.

"It's similar a portion of maine now," said Paige.

That bracelet is simply a reminder of her father’s committedness to his country.

"I went successful the subject close retired of precocious school. I was 17 erstwhile I joined up. I did 4 years of progressive duty. When I got retired of progressive duty, I joined the Army Reserves," said Lt. Paul Workman.

Paul Workman is present a lieutenant with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, but backmost successful 2008, helium was deployed to Afghanistan. Paige was conscionable 4 years aged astatine the time.

"It's benignant of similar the biggest representation of him being successful the subject due to the fact that it was specified a young property for your dada to permission for a year," Workman said. "It was a pugnacious year. I had a batch of separation anxiousness from my dad, but I was truly arrogant of him. I inactive americium to this day."

Before helium left, household friends talented Paige a greenish bracelet.

"It says 'Paul' and past 'Blessed are the Peacekeepers,'" said Paige.

And it was successful that silicone bracelet that she recovered comfortableness successful the lack of 1 of her biggest relation models.

"I enactment it connected and I told my household 'I'm not going to instrumentality it disconnected until my dada comes backmost home' and I had this conception that it would benignant of support him safe. It was irrational, but I was young," said Paige.

But aft helium returned home, her committedness didn’t end.

"When helium came backmost location a twelvemonth later, I was 5 and I decided to support it connected until each the different soldiers that overseas came home," said Paige.

Her dada thought it was a signifier astatine first.

"You know, arsenic if astir things arsenic adults, we don't perpetrate to thing that long, right? So we're like, 'OK.' And past it conscionable kept going connected and on," Lt. Workman said.

Since Paige was 4, she has worn that bracelet 24/7, done sporting events, schoolhouse dances, elder pictures.

"I wanted it to beryllium portion of those peculiar moments with maine due to the fact that it's been portion of my beingness for truthful long," she said.

Her archetypal bracelet lasted 9 years earlier it snapped; she was capable to enactment different 1 connected that aforesaid day.

But present Paige is simply a freshman astatine Central Michigan University successful the ROTC program. And, precocious up astatine school, connected her 18th birthday, she got an unwelcome surprise.

"I enactment my digit nether it to determination it up and it conscionable snapped off. It flew crossed the country and ... I instantly started crying. I was like, 'oh no,' and I called my dad," said Paige.

Lt. Workman knew however overmuch the bracelet meant to her, but earlier helium could overnight different one, connection started to dispersed wrong the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

"What went done my caput was however arrogant I americium of, not lone our Lieutenant Workman but the benignant of values he's instilled successful his household and his daughter, specifically," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

So with the encouragement of the Sheriff and Lt. Workman's colleagues, helium arranged a astonishment sojourn to Paige’s ROTC class, bracelet successful tow.

"I did commencement crying ... it was a truly saccharine moment," said Paige.

Now she has a caller bracelet, and a spare up astatine school, conscionable successful case, due to the fact that portion the bracelets deterioration down and interruption implicit time, Paige’s committedness remains steadfast.

"I mean, from a precise young property ... I've been truthful successful awe of him and what helium did for our state ... everybody that serves, it's specified a courageous determination and it's ever been successful the backmost of my head. My dad's ever been 1 of my biggest relation models. I deliberation he's 1 of the strongest radical I know," she said.

Alexandra Bahou astatine WXYZ archetypal reported this story.