Soldier surprised by 2-year-old son's preschool before deployment

NORTH HUNTINGTON, Pa. — We’ve seen the videos of soldiers surprising their children at school, but Wednesday in Westmoreland County, the soldier got the surprise.

The red, white and blue ribbon and a welcoming sign out front of the Kindercare Learning Center in North Huntingdon were just some of the surprises for Staff Sgt. Thomas Porter.

When he dropped off his son, he found out he was the guest of honor.

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Porter will leave soon to serve in Iraq for a year, leaving his 2-year-old son Jamie, and his wife Bethany behind.

“I'm very proud of him,” Bethany Porter said. “We are going to miss him a lot, very proud that he is doing is service for the country.”

The staff wanted to give him a hero's sendoff.

“We wanted to give him one last special day before he leaves,” said Sherry Klos, Kindercare director.

Staff Sgt. Porter says he will miss his family dearly, but it's a job that needs to be done.

“We are still over there, still trying to straighten things out over there,” he said. “We are doing the job we said we would do.”

The kids at Kindercare put together a scrapbook for him to remind him of everything he has waiting for him when he returns.

Cox Media Group