GARDNER, Kan. — A father gave a young girl a surprise she will never forget on Wednesday.
Chief Warrant Officer Brandon Williams hid behind a wall and waited for the right moment at Sunflower Elementary in Gardner.
"It meant the world. I've been waiting to see her for a while. I've been missing her quite a bit. She's been missing me, so it meant a lot to be able to see her," said Williams.
When he walked out, it took his daughter a few seconds to realize what was happening. But when she did, she immediately jumped into his arms.
"It was awesome to be able to give her a hug. It was awesome to be able to see her again," Williams said of that moment. "She means everything to me."
Williams returned from Afghanistan just hours before the surprise. He last saw his daughter in March.
"She's a lot taller. She's a lot older sounding now. She definitely has grown up big time," Williams said.
Williams' wife and the school helped coordinate the surprise. She says it wasn't easy. Her husband's personal belongings arrived Tuesday and she had to hide those items from her kids.
"Well, they saw it on the way out this morning. So I had to make up an excuse for that," said Adelle Williams.
To make the surprise even more special, it happened as Williams' daughter and her class were having a lesson on Veterans Day.
"I'm happy to have him home," said Williams' daughter. "It means I get to see him for my birthday."
After it happened, the family is just happy to be back together. "Now that he's home and he's safe, there is just no words that can describe how I feel," said Adelle.
