'Everybody, this is my dad': Son's heartwarming reunion with dad
A military father’s emotional reunion with his two children has left thousands in tears after it was shared online.
Airman John Grieten had spent six months in Southwest Asia before he surprised his son Joshua and daughter Jessica at school.
After the long stint away, Mr Grieten was filmed standing behind 15-year-old Joshua, who was completely unaware that his father was watching proudly behind him.
Joshua, who has Down syndrome, was over the moon when his father finally asked him ‘can I sit here?’
Joshua seems stunned to see his father at first, questioning if what is happening is real.
He then jumps out of his chair and shouts ‘daddy’, grabbing his father for a massive hug in excitement.
His class erupts in claps and cheers, as the pair continues to reunite.
The thrilled teen then addresses the room, proudly boasting ‘everybody! This is my dad!’.
Video footage then shows Mr Grieten surprising his daughter, a fifth-grader.
Jessica was enjoying her lunch in a packed canteen, when her father snuck up on her and asked ‘is this seat open?’
Like her brother, she jumps into his arms screaming ‘daddy’.
‘Hiya sweetheart,” he says.
Mr Grieten told local media he was so happy to be home.
“I've been Skyping with them for six months, but there's nothing like re-establishing the physical bond between parent and child,” he told the Newark Post.
He said his wife Cheryl had helped to plan the surprise.
The video was shared by Military Surprises YouTube channel, and has been viewed more than 400,000 times.
