U.S. Marine Dave Woodruff has spent the past eight months deployed overseas in Spain. He has been gone from home on service to the military for the past two years and desperately missed his family.
When he learned that his deployment in Spain would be ending a bit earlier, he decided he wanted to surprise them in a big way. So he teamed up with a group of pals back home to pull off a top secret covert mission.
His parents were attending service at Christ the King Church in Deville, New Jersey, completely unaware that their son was sitting in his car in the parking lot while they sat with the congregation.
The pastor was leading everyone in worship and while the congregation was standing and praising the Lord, the pastor informed the membership that “We have a little treat before I dismiss everyone.”
Dave had compiled a heartfelt video clip wishing his dad a happy 53rd birthday. The Marine confessed that he had missed his dad’s birthday the past two years while on active duty, so he wanted to do something a little special for his parents.
He told them how much he loved and missed them, and as his mom removed her glasses to swipe away her tears, he told everyone to turn around… Watch the video below to see the surprise for yourself!