Dreams come true for boy with terminal cancer, 10, as he is sworn into U.S. Army



A ten-year-old boy with terminal cancer received the surprise of his young life this week when his dreams of becoming a U.S. soldier came true.



Khalil Quarles, from Baltimore, had longed to enlist in the army for years before an aggressive form of soft tissue cancer attacked his leg and spread to his lungs in 2011.



And so as a special surprise, troops from the 200th Military Command out of Fort Meade paid him a visit on Wednesday to make the boy an honorary serviceman in the United States Army.

Pledge: Ten-year-old terminal cancer patient, Khalil Quarles was enrolled as an honorary member of the U.S. Army

Khalil wore a look of awe and shock as he pledged his allegiance. Earlier in the day, while Skyping with a soldier stationed in Kuwait, he had thought things couldn't get better.

But as he hobbled outside on his crutches and saw the crowd assembled on his front lawn, the dreams of this little boy with an incurable disease in that moment came true.

Dreams: Khalil Quarles, talking with a soldier in Kuwait over Skype, cultivated a love of the Army several years before he was diagnosed with a soft tissue cancer in June 2011

Surprise! Khalil walked out of his house on Wednesday to find members of the 200th Military Command at Fort Meade on his lawn waiting for him

The boy's mother, Cypress Mason told WBal TV of his long battle against the cancer and the multiple rounds of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation he had endured.



'We decided to just stop the treatment so that Khalil could have the best quality of life that's possible, being a 10-year-old child, to get to enjoy his life,' she said.



As her son was seated in front of an American flag, Captain Brandon Crawford spoke to the boy.

Man to man: The young boy was so speechless he could only nod in approval when Captain Brandon Crawford explained why he and his men had come to his house

Honor: A lady sang the Star Spangled Banner as Khalil was presented with a plaque

Smiling: Asked the most important role of a soldier, the boy replied: 'protecting people'

'It's come to my attention that one of your lifelong ambitions is to become a soldier, so I brought some of my troops here to make you an honorary member of the United States Army. What do you think of that?' he asked.



A speechless Khalil could only nod in approval.



Asked by the press what he thought the most important role of a soldier was, the brave little boy smiled and answered: 'Protecting people.'



Among the day's highlights for Khalil was a ride in a military Humvee and being presented with a trophy plaque while The Star Spangled Banner was sung in his honor.

Devoted: Khalil's mother Cypress Mason told new crews about her son's brave battle with a cancer that after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation refused to go away

Protection: Khalil, who is no longer receiving treatment and living out his last days the best way he can, dons a helmet for his ride in a Humvee

Say cheese: Described as a 'fighter' by his mother and a 'tough guy' by Captain Crawford, Khalil poses with his new colleagues

The Army also collected donations for Christmas gifts for his family because they couldn't afford to buy presents for the holiday.



As Khalil posed for pictures with his new army brothers and sisters, Capt Crawford remarked: 'This guy is tough. He's like what a real soldier is about. That's why we're happy to induct him into the Army.'

