PEMBERTON, N.J. (CBS) — Thursday was one school day, two children will never forget. The siblings got a surprise they never expected.



Their dad, stationed overseas in Afghanistan, returned home early.



Eyewitness News was at Busansky School in Pemberton, NJ for one of the surprises.



With the second graders in Mrs. Stacey Kelly’s class wondering why Eyewitness News was in their classroom, Mrs. Kelly and staff at the school came up with a special activity to make sure our cover wasn’t blown.



They told the students, they would draw a name out of a hat and the winner would get to play “newscaster” for the day.



The name drawn: Kylie McEntee.



Kylie had no idea her father, who had been serving in Afghanistan for the last year, was about to surprise her in school. Eyewitness News was there to capture the touching reunion.





“She is a very shy, quiet child and I could tell inside, she was bursting and I was bursting all day,” Mrs. Kelly said.



Kylie’s father, MSgt. Damian McEntee, an 18-year veteran with the US Air Force, added, “This, I guess, my wife said, the school planned it. It’s great. They support the military and I feel really good.”



Kylie has an older brother in middle school, where dad stopped by first.



Rylan McEntee said, “I thought, who is this man? And I looked at him and I saw that it was my dad. And I was happy he was finally home.”



Kylie added she was “Really happy!”



The siblings were happy the entire family was together again. Now with their dad re-assigned, the McEntees will remain together for three more years in Italy.



The family will spend Kylie’s 8th birthday in Orlando then move to Italy in April.

Reported by Elizabeth Hur, CBS 3