Dad surprises soldier son as captain of his flight home

A soldier coming home from the Middle East got a big surprise from his dad.

Captain Mario Lopes is a Washington D.C.-based pilot, according to ABC News. When he found out his son was returning home from Kuwait on April 14, he made sure he would be piloting the military flight back to Norfolk, Virginia.

No one could confirm whether his son would be on the plane he was piloting, but he knew he had to give it a shot

He told the crew about the surprise, and when his son boarded the plane, Captain Lopes walked up behind him.

“First Lieutenant Lopes!” said Mario Lopes. “What are you doing on my aircraft?”

Video captured the moment his son turned around and embraced his dad for a very long time.

“Words cannot describe how meaningful it was to have that moment with my son,” he told ABC News. “It was my most memorable flight in my 27 years with United, and, while I can’t say for certain, I’m pretty positive nothing will ever beat that.”

Cox Media Group