HOWLAND, Ohio (WKBN) – A Howland family received a special Fourth of July surprise.

Sergeant Jeffrey Morataya has been overseas since March 2014. He was able to make it home this weekend to be with his family and decided to surprise his children in an exciting way.

His children, Gianna, 2, and Dominic, 4, were told they had a gift from their father from around the world. When the pair got the paper off the box, Morataya, who was hiding inside, lifted up the top and surprised the kids.

Morataya’s wife said it was a surprise the entire family was looking forward to and even the dog cried when it saw Morataya return.