Soldier dresses as firefighter to surprise young son in touching reunion

ABILENE, TX -- A group of firefighters helped a soldier returning home from deployment give his son a grand surprise.

Manny Lamson Jr. had spent six months deployed at Qatar Air Base and asked Abilene Fire Department to make sure his son, Connor, experienced a memorable reunion with him.

Tara Lamson, Connor's mother, recorded video of a fire truck arriving outside the family home, with Connor seen wandering up to four firefighters to say hello.

He was greeted by a mystery man dressed in full firefighter gear who soon took off an oxygen mask to reveal himself to be the boy's dad.

"Manny was supposed to come home a week earlier, and him and Connor were going to go on a trip with grandpa to watch spring training baseball in Arizona," Tara said. "However, grandpa went with Connor while Manny was delayed. He arrived a day before Connor would be back from the trip."

Tara said he "loves" firefighters having "visited the station on multiple occasion while his dad was on deployment."

The Abilene Fire Department shared the footage on March 12.