PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida student received a surprise visit from his soldier father at a Pembroke Pines school.
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Giovanny Prieto had been deployed to Korea for more than four months.
Prieto’s family wasn’t expecting him to be home for the holidays, but to their surprise, he made it home in time, Thursday.
“Just the blessing of being here for Christmas is just unbelievable,” said Prieto, “just to see the joy of the kids, you can’t afford that every day, and you can’t pay for that.”
Prieto’s return came with an emotional reunion after his wife arranged a surprise visit at their son’s school.
“They didn’t expect that for Christmas,” said Wanedqui Ocasio, Prieto’s wife. “They thought that he’s going to spend Christmas in Korea.”
Giovanny Prieto Jr. didn’t really understand what was going on until he finally saw his dad enter the lunchroom.
“Are you happy, son?” Prieto asked in Spanish during the reunion.
His father’s return was a wish come true, as Giovanny Jr. had wished for his father to make it home in time for Christmas.
“I was so surprised that he could come, that he can do all this stuff for me,” he said.
Prieto said the emotional reunion with his son was worth the wait.
“It’s just rewarding. Every single minute that I spent on that plane coming down here for 18 hours, it’s just worth it to see their faces and be able to spend Christmas with them for the next three weeks,” he said. “Kind of like recharge my batteries to go back and do what I’m being called to do.”
Prieto will go back to Korea for the next nine and a half months after the three weeks are over.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.