When Master Sgt. Joseph Martell returned home from deployment in Afghanistan a month early, he took it as an opportunity to surprise his teenage son at his football game. Martell put on the opposing team’s jersey and joined his son on the field when the referee called a meeting on the 50-yard line.
It takes Justin all of three seconds to recognize his dad once the U.S. airman removes his helmet. “I thought he was — I don’t even know how many miles [away], and the next thing I know he’s standing in front of me and I’m giving him a hug,” Justin told Spangdahelm Air Base.