"Being away from the family is the toughest thing that any sailor or soldier has to do," US Navy Lieutenant Kailash Purohit said.
Every day during active duty deployment to Bahrain, Lt. Purohit thought about his sons, Lake Forest middle schoolers Sohil, 10, and Neil, 12. The boys have missed their dad dearly.
"I want to see the shock factor in their eyes," Purohit said.
Late in the school day, the kids got a surprise they never saw coming. The boys had thought their dad was returning in June.
"Oh my God, Dad!" Sohil and Neil exclaimed as they leaped into their father's arms.
"I love you so much," Purohit said as he embraced his sons.
"He's so brave. Just to be in the Navy, it just goes to my heart that he's just doing this all for us," Sohil said of his dad.
"Really excited, really overwhelmed," Neil said.
Navy Commander Select Dr. Mukta Pant-Purohit said she is also overjoyed to have her husband back.
"To have him in one piece and on U.S. soil is just an incredible experience," Pant-Purohit said.
As a dual military household, leaving their kids for deployments is always hard, Pant-Purohit said.
"It is only when you don't have those moments is when you realize how important those ordinary moments are," she said.
Moments like Wednesday's surprise make every second away worth the wait, she said.
The Purohits will have at least a year before the next deployment and plan to make the most of every moment.