For anyone who has a family member that is serving the nation, I’d like to start by commending you for being brave and understanding of the duties your loved one has signed up for because it’s not easy to be a part of a military family. And, for those who are a part of the nation’s military, thank you for everything that you do for your country.

Being a part of the military means that you’re usually far away from home and your loved ones, and don’t get the chance to come back home as often as you’d like to. You miss special occasions like birthdays and graduations, and some soldiers will even miss something as important as the birth of their children. These men and women deserve all the recognition in this world for serving the country and giving up so much of their everyday lives to keep the rest of us safe.

Since soldiers are deployed for months on end, it only makes sense that their homecoming will be extra special and emotional. When a soldier leaves home, his/her family doesn’t know when they’ll see him/her next. So, when that moment comes, it’s a tear-jerking time for everyone. In my opinion, the best homecomings are the ones that come as a surprise to the family members — no one knows that their deployed soldier is coming back home! We have one such story for you here today.