See that woman in the center of the photo, the one wearing the red shirt? She’s about to get the surprise of a lifetime. When this mother lined up with her family to pose for a quick photo at a local baseball game, she had no idea what was about to happen. It seemed like a regular old family picture; just a normal American family, hanging out at a community baseball game, taking a nice snapshot of the moment. Maybe to put on Facebook later! But there’s a lot more to this photo than you would think.

While the family is posing for the photo, this woman’s son sneaks up behind her. Not in a mean way, as if to scare his mom or play a prank, not at all. This woman’s son is a soldier and he had been away with the US Army either to train, to be stationed, or to be deported. No matter what he was off doing in the military, it doesn’t make it any less difficult for a mother to accept the fact that her son is fighting for his country. And how terrifying that idea can quickly become.

So that probably explains her heartwarming reaction to her sons’ sudden appearance!

The person taking the photo was obviously in cahoots with this sneaky solider – maybe even the people in the picture knew what was going on. You can tell because they’re trying to keep mom’s attention forward, so as to not ruin the surprise behind her.

You think she might ruin the surprise when the son touches her; she suddenly wonders whose hands are on her shoulder and looks like she’s going to turn around. Luckily, the photographer manages to grab her attention long enough to take the photo, so that this mom really gets to be surprised when she turns around.

At the :07 mark in this amazingly heartfelt video, the picture has been taken and the family starts to disperse – and mom has just turned around to see her son standing behind her. At first, she’s clearly shocked, like she’s not sure what she’s seeing. But then she realizes what’s happening and completely breaks down.

While the soldiers’ little brother jumps all over him in excitement (we guess he didn’t know either!), their mother has fallen to her knees with emotion. When her son helps her up, the three embrace in the most tear-jerking reunion we’ve ever seen.

This incredible video has gotten millions upon millions of YouTube views and an equally huge amount of encouraging comments, thanking this young man for his service and relating to this families’ story.

We’re so happy to see this young man, who is doing an honorable service in fighting for America, is safe and sound. It’s amazing to see how loved he is by his family and to be able to witness this absolutely beautiful reunion. We thank whoever had the idea to film this moment because it completely made our day and the day of millions of others!

What do you think of this clever and sweet surprise photo? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.