Watch: Father soldier dressed as mascot surprises son on 1st day of school

Father soldier dresses as mascot to surprise son on first day of school

A soldier disguised as an elementary school’s mascot surprised his son on his first day of second grade. (Credit: Cuyahoga Falls City School District via Storyful)

A young boy had a memorable surprise on his first day of school in Ohio.

His father dressed up as an elementary school mascot and surprised the second-grader as he wrapped up his school day on Aug.17.

DeWitt Elementary School staff members in Cuyahoga Falls captured the heartwarming moment for Eli, whose father, Sgt Perry Chronister, had been deployed overseas for a year.

In the video, Chronister, dressed as the tiger mascot, kneels in front of Eli’s desk before removing the costume head. The boy hopped out of his seat and tackled his father into a hug.

One teacher is overheard in the footage saying, "Wow! I think we have a visitor."

"That’s Eli’s dad!" another teacher says in the video. "Eli’s dad has been gone for a little while, and he has finally returned, so we are so excited."

Cuyahoga Falls City School District shared the touching video with the social news platform Storyful.

In a Facebook post, the school district thanked Chronister for his service.

This story was reported from Washington, D.C.