LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

Twenty-two recruits completed 26 weeks of training Friday and were sworn in as Louisville firefighters, and one of them kept his accomplishment a secret until the moment his name was called.

"He said only come here, at this time, we meet here. But we didn’t know what it is, what happened, by who … so, it was a big surprise," said his mom, Salda Barrero.

Alvaro Vacquez Barrero, 27, told only his girlfriend about his time in the academy as he trained alongside other recruits, even at a facility where his brother works, and managed to keep it from his family.

"It was hard. It was hard. They almost caught me a few times," said Alvaro Vacquez Barrero. "They had no idea until 10:30 this morning."

The surprise came when the ceremony announcer called, "Recruit Alvaro Vacquez

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