Lindsay Truax and Michael SchmidtArmy Reserve Staff Sergeant Anthony Almazan have been together for four years. Sergeant Almazan, who has one daughter of his own, is a father figure to his partner's three kids, and together, they've become a tight-knit blended family.  

When Almazan was sent on overseas deployment, it hit all the children hard, but 10-year-old Deacon most of all. As the only boy, he'd formed a special bond with his bonus dad.

"It's really fun when we're together because he's really nice to me," says Deacon. "He's funny. We watch TV, we ride the Ranger together."

Before he left, Almazan gave each of the children a teddy bear with a recorded message inside to remind them of him.

"All of them slept with it every night," says Truax. "They'd press it every night. Sometimes it would make them emotional, but in a positive way. They got to hear his voice, and so it was pretty special."

After almost 11 months away, the deployment ended suddenly when Sergeant Almazan was sent home due to a medical issue. Fortunately, the opportunity to return coincided with a birthday party for his twin girls, complete with an obstacle course where he staged a surprise homecoming.

Watch the video below to see the full story of a military dad's surprise return

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