COWETA, Okla. — First grader Ava Bonnstetter hasn’t been able to hug her dad in 10 months.
He was deployed to the Middle East as a mechanic for the U.S. Army.
Austin said he was thankful to his wife, Martina and Northwest Elementary School for allowing him to surprise Ava with a special reunion.
“Thinking about when's the next time you're going to come home and see your family," he said. "Just every day is a blessing.”
Principal Taylor Harper tells me she organized the surprise last minute with Ava’s mom, Martina.
“I was super pumped immediately, just hearing how exciting that would be for their family," she said.
Harper said she wanted it to be a surprise for all of Ava's classmates too.
“We told them that a local celebrity was coming, so they've just been super excited all day long," she said. "The anticipation of figuring out who the local celebrity was gonna be.”
As for Ava, she was happy to see her dad again.
“It was very exciting," she said.
Martina is happy to have her husband home.
"Relieved," she said. "Relieved is definitely the best word I can think of."
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