SAN ANTONIO – Four children got an early Christmas gift when their Air Force dad came home early from a seven-month deployment in Iraq.
KSAT 12 News cameras were rolling when Staff Sgt. Salvador Gutierrez surprised his two sons while they were eating lunch Friday at Jubilee Academy.
6-year-old Azariah saw Dad first, throwing his arms around him. Shortly thereafter, big brother Sal found dad, too, who locked him up in a hug seven months in the making.
But the two boys aren't the only kids Gutierrez came home to. 1-year-old Leah was born not too long before he left.
And as if that wasn't enough, Gutierrez met his 1-month-old daughter Sarah for the first time Thursday.
"Nervous still, a little bit shaky, but I'm just glad to be home and after 7 months," Gutierrez said. "It's nice to be able to be with my kids and my family."
The first thing they're going to do as a family is to see a movie.
Gutierrez and his wife, Wendy, originally told their kids that dad would be home on Christmas Eve. But he decided to surprise them when his commanders told him he'd get home before Christmas.