Soldier gets welcome home surprise from her 3-year-old son

CALIFORNIA - Army Sergeant Elaine Moreno had been deployed overseas in Iraq and got a special, unforgettable welcome home from her 3-year-old son.

Moreno was returning home from a 10-month stint in the Middle East and a few weeks spent at Fort Hood and was surprised to be greeted by her son at Meadows Fields Airport in Bakersfield, California.

“You get so used to talking to them online, face time, and it’s surreal,” Moreno said. “You come back to a kid who has grown up so much more and is doing more things and is talking to much more, it’s just not real.”

The heartwarming reunion happened just in time for the air to be able to celebrate New Year’s Eve together.

Moreno said that it’s a relief to be back home and that she will savor every moment until she goes back on deployment.