Iraq Vet Surprises Son in Kindergarten

It was a story like this that led me to start this blog:

Gabriel Hurles' sixth birthday party wasn't a surprise, but his present sure was. The kindergartner was so engrossed in the cupcakes his mother brought to his class on Wednesday that he didn't notice the enormous wrapped box off to the side.

"That's one big, giant present," a 6-year-old classmate told him. "See what you got, Gabriel."

Gabriel peeled back the wrapping paper to find the surprise of his young life — his father, an Army mechanic back in Nevada on leave from his second tour in Iraq.

"It's my dad!" he announced to his classmates at Sutro Elementary School in Dayton, a few miles northeast of Carson City. "Hi, Daddy."

Army Spc. Casey Hurles, 23, hadn't seen his son since he left in June. When he learned his leave would coincide with his son's birthday, he hatched a plan to hide out in the 4-foot-tall box. (read more @ KansasCity.com)

I am a veteran myself, and even though I didn't have kids during my years of service, I used to be so touched - to tears even - when I witnessed families reuniting. I'll never, ever forget coming back from seven months in Bosnia-Herzogovina and standing in a gymnasium with my unit...minutes from being let free to our own devices. We all stood in rows while a Colonel welcomed us with congratulatory words, but I don't think anyone was listening. Across from us, all you could see were wives and children with smiles from ear to ear, bouncing in their seats, so eager to touch their loved one again. I was so happy for all of them. As a father now, I can't even imagine missing my daughters that long.

Watch Gabriel open his birthday present: