Marine Son Shocks Dad With Early Homecoming Surprise At Tailgate

A dad yelled in complete shock when he spotted his Marine son arriving at a tailgate holding a case of drinks.

Walley Smith, 52, from Wauseon, Ohio, is extremely close to son Garrett, 23, who is his only child and a Private First Class with the United States Marines.

According to family and friends, Walley has practically been a single father most of his life, with his small family only consisting of Walley, his mom and Garrett.

Having been stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, for four months, Garrett wanted to plan a big surprise for his father the next time he was set to return home.

As luck would have it, the night Garrett was due to return, family friends who often host high school football parties were due to have a tailgate to celebrate their own son graduating basic training.

The tailgate provided the perfect meeting point for Garrett, who arrived in Wauseon earlier in the day and helped set up the party.

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With Walley not expected to be off work until 7pm, Garrett thought he had time to run a few errands – only for Walley to then arrive two and a half hours early.

Friends and family quickly messaged Garrett, who returned to the tailgate holding a case of drinks.

As he headed into the garage, he shouted, “What’s up, Pa?” which caused a shocked Walley to let out an expletive before heading over to his son for a long-awaited hug.

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The moment was captured on video by Teresa Haas, 44, who sees herself as a second auntie to Garrett, having been friends with his family for as long as she can remember.

Teresa said: “Seeing Walley’s reaction was priceless, as Garrett is an only child and Walley was pretty much a single father most of his life.

“They have a very small family, where it is just Walley’s mother, Walley and Garrett.

“Seeing Walley’s reaction brought tears to everyone’s eyes, and this was one of the most heartfelt moments I have ever been able to capture on video.”

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