It was a special homecoming surprise for the daughter of a soldier stationed in North Carolina, after he served overseas. SSgt. Alex Scott hasn't seen his family in nearly a year, but returned home to Ulster County early Friday for a memorable reunion.
United States Army Staff Sgt. Alex Scott returned from deployment in Kuwait last month, and now he's back home from Fort Bragg with a very special assignment.
"We decided that we would make as big a deal out of it as we could, because some kids were doubting that her dad was even in the military," Miller Middle School Principal Jo Burruby said.
"I thought I was getting a dentist appointment," Scott's daughter Zoey said.
Instead, someone else gave Zoey a reason to flash her pearly whites.
"It's very emotional," wife Amy Scott said. "I'm excited that he's home to spend time with his daughters, because he's been away for a really long time."
"This is her fourth deployment," SSgt. Scott said of his daughter. "It's rough, though, especially as a kid. Talking with her on the phone, on Skype, it's hard watching them grow up from a distance."
He's home for now, but the 17-year Army veteran doesn't know what's next.
"As of right now, they don't know what's going on," Scott said.
"You always have the thought in the back of your mind that he could always leave at any moment," Amy Scott said. "Drop of a dime, you know. He's U.S. Army, he's always on call, 24 hours, seven days a week."
But in the meantime, the're going to make every second they have together count.
"It's great being home," Alex Scott said. "I always love the time I can spend with them."