Watch a Military Family’s Touching Surprise Reunion at a Hockey Game

No matter how many times we see footage of a soldier surprising his family it doesn’t get old.

This past weekend, Army Sergeant 1^st Class Philip Gallardo showed up to surprise his children when the Cincinnati Cyclones hosted the Evansville Icemen in a minor league hockey game.

Gallardo’s kids, 11-year-old Phillip and 12-year-old Karisma, were ushered out to the ice, thinking they were going to drop a ceremonial puck to start the game. They quickly realized they had been set up when their dad, who had been planning the surprise with the Cyclones for weeks, walked onto the ice.

Gallardo was returning from Afghanistan. He’s been deployed four times, with his longest time away from home stretching 15 months. He says before the surprise at the hockey game he hadn’t seen his kids in over a year.

Judging by the reaction he got, it sure looks like his efforts paid off.

Gallardo's reunion with his kids won’t last too long, unfortunately. He’s scheduled to go to Fort Riley in Kansas next week.