This proud son could not hold back the tears during his Air Force graduation, as his first salute during his tapping out ceremony happened to be to his military mom. In the emotional footage, mom Nicole DiGioia can be seen approaching her son, Matt Cross, who was standing to attention at the Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. Matt, 21, recently passed his Air Force Basic Military Training (BMT), and on July 3, he took part in the coining ceremony, which commemorates recent grads moving from Airman Basic to Airman. After the ceremony, airmen patiently wait at attention for someone to tap them out – a tradition that usually falls to a loved one or a family member. Nicole, who herself is a medic and is currently stationed as an officer at the Keesler Air Force Base, in Biloxi, Mississippi, dressed in full uniform as she approached her son, who was standing to attention looking straight ahead. Following a tap on the shoulder and a firm salute, straight-faced Matt broke into a smile, before falling into his mother’s arms for an emotional embrace.