CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Watch this touching moment of a local Marine surprising his family with a trip home for the holidays.
It was the surprise of a lifetime, that one mom will never forget.
"I was totally caught off guard, totally surprised," said Emily Salazar, after seeing her son for the first time since he left for Marine Corps basic training in March.
"I just wanted to see her, and see her reaction I guess," Anthony Munoz, local Marine said. "She's the most important person in my life."
Many times the holidays can be hard for military families, when that family member is serving their country and not able to make it home.
But with a weeks notice, Munoz knew he'd get the chance to see his family again. He hadn't seen them in about nine months, and had only communicated with his family by letters or a handful of phone calls, and during a pandemic this can be stressful for any parent.
"There were a lot of parents that would contact each other over the internet to see how our boys were doing because of COVID-19," said Emily Salazar.
"Sometimes, no news means good news. So if we weren't getting a phone call, that meant for me, he wasn't in the hospital."
Salazar was hoping she'd see her son Anthony, but on Thanksgiving morning he called to tell her of other plans he had.
She said once 1:30 pm rolled around, everyone was taking pictures and Anthony showed up behind her.
Salazar's reaction is priceless, "having him home was really special, it was extra special."
