Fire dept. helps Marine surprise mother

A Haines City teacher got the surprise of a lifetime Tuesday when a fire safety presentation at her school turned out to be her Marine son’s unexpected homecoming!

The heartwarming reunion was caught on camera by the Haines City Fire Department, who says they were in on making the whole thing happen.

Fire Marshal Timothy Mossgrove says it all started days before when they were contacted by Lance Corporal Jake Stanek and his sister Leah.

Jake told them that he had just returned from a six month stent in Iraq, and that only his sister knew he was home. 

And because Leah and their mom both work as teachers at the Lighthouse Christian Learning Center, the siblings said they wanted to carry out some sort of surprise for her at the campus.

That’s when they decided that Mossgrove would host a “routine” fire safety presentation with an unforgettable finale.

Half way through the presentation, Mossgrove segued from fire safety, and went on to talk about the heroes that serve the community and the country as a whole.

He asked the students if they knew of anyone who fought for their country, and a slew of hands filled the air- including Mrs. Stanek’s.

As planned, he brought her to the front of the group, giving Jake the perfect opportunity to make his entrance.

While she was telling the group how much his service means to her, Jake snuck out from behind the fire truck and silently walked up to her side.

She didn’t notice at first, but then she was told to turn around, and it happened.

Shocked, she wrapped her arms around him not once, not twice, but FOUR times before the rest of their family came out, and she hugged them too.

Applause, music and a whole lot of love filled the air as this mother got the perfect surprise.

See the whole thing play out below: