Army Dad Returns to Lubbock to Surprise Family Before Holidays

December is the time of the year for many children to ask Santa for that one special gift but some children will ask for something a little bit more. One Lubbock family is currently celebrating extra early, just ahead of the holidays, after receiving a gift that was just a little bit more than expected.

On Tuesday, December 20, one family was surprised with a little early gift this holiday season that they could just only ask for but never thought they would receive. At Irons Middle School, U.S. Army Private Second Class Christian Salinas surprised his daughter with his unexpected early return home. Private Salinas returned home to the Hub City after spending four months away at Fort Lee, Virginia for military training purposes.

Salinas and his family talked about how happy they were to be reunited for the holidays and how special this reunion was to them. "Him being home is hard so this is the best present I could get" stated Private Salinas' daughter when asked about how she personally felt about being surprised by her father.

Private Salinas will spend the next 10 days with his family before heading on to his next destination, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, just right before ringing in the New Year. Video footage of Private Salinas with his family was captured by Lubbock ISD while on Irons Middle School grounds and their reactions to having him home can be seen below.