27 of the Most Heartfelt Soldier Homecomings in Honor of Veterans Day

When Philip Crabtree surprised his family during some R&R from Iraq, he met his daughter for the first time, and TLC was there to capture it all.

A fifth grader got the surprise of her life when her uniformed dad walked into her classroom 18 months after he left for Afghanistan.

This boy's family told him his mom would return from a six-month tour of Afghanistan the following week, but he was surprised when she walked into his classroom.

These visitors to Disney's Art of Animation thought they were just watching a flash mob at the theme park when their real surprise emerged from the crowd.

It took a few moments for these Rochester girls to realize that their dad, just home from Afghanistan, was the focus of their school's welcome-home assembly.

This 2-year-old just wanted to make sure her whole family could stay together now that her dad was home.

A father's return home included a surprise visit to his daughter's high school art class.

A high school football player had a very special veteran surprise him for his game's coin toss.

This military family thought they were just getting a shout-out from the Indianapolis Colts, but they received a new car with a special visitor inside.

This budding basketball star thought he was just going to the free-throw line; what he saw when he turned around was the real miracle.

Mom and Dad were both in on the surprise at this boy's honor assembly (cue the tears).

Walt Disney World just got a whole lot better for this little girl.

Sometimes the simplest things, like picking their kids up from school, are the ones that soldiers miss the most.

One teen received the best surprise when her dad showed up at her school play.

All Bethany wanted for Christmas was for her father to come home . . . and he did!

Sometimes, it's the soldiers who are surprised. Like when Michael, a boy with cerebral palsy, walked to his father.

An airport homecoming led to this soldier meeting his daughter for the very first time.

This soldier received a standing ovation — and tons of tears — from everyone at his daughter's dance rehearsal.

When Sgt. John Vorrath arranged to watch his wife give birth to their daughter, Charlotte, half a world away through a FaceTime session on Oct. 24, he never imagined he'd have her in his arms a mere 22 hours later. Sgt. Vorrath, a member of the Iowa National Guard, is deployed in the Middle East and was not expected to return home for another six months. But while he was watching Charlotte's birth on an iPad, his commander slipped him a note, surprising him that his leave application was approved. He immediately bought a ticket home and surprised his wife, Janae, when he walked through the door of her Mary Greeley Medical Center hospital room.