Army soldier, son reunite as hundreds cheer at Apopka school

Kamron and hundreds of his classmates, holding small American flags, figured something out of the ordinary was about to happen after being ushered into the school gymnasium.

Instead, it turned out to be a day he'll remember the rest of his life.

Four-year-old Kamron Medina figured he was facing another routine day at his Apopka preschool Thursday.

Then in walked his father, Army Spc. Kelvin Medina, wearing his fatigues and a big smile. He had just arrived from Afghanistan.

Kamron stared for a second, his mouth and eyes wide open. He then jumped up and ran toward his Dad — both spreading their arms in the middle of the basketball court.

Lifting his son, Kelvin planted several kisses on Kamron's cheek as the Trinity Christian School gym erupted in cheers. School administrators snapped photos and wiped away tears.

"I am just so happy to see him," Kelvin said, holding his son. "We're going to go home now and just play. … He loves basketball, so we'll probably play some basketball."

Kamron, who calls his father his hero, wasn't expecting to see him again until at least March, when the soldier was scheduled to return home. It caught him completely by surprise.

"This is great," Kamron said with a wide grin.

Even more special for the Apopka family: Kelvin's wife, Kristin, gave birth a week ago to a baby girl named Kennedy.

"It's good to have him back home," said Kristin, 27, with tears in her eyes. "It's overwhelming."

Kelvin, 28, received notice a few days ago while serving in Afghanistan's Kandahar province that he was granted a 30-day emergency medical leave because of the birth of Kennedy, who came prematurely.

He flew to Kuwait, then to Washington, D.C., and Fort Hood, Texas, before boarding an 11 a.m. flight to Orlando on Thursday.

"I kept thinking: 'I really want to see my family,'" Kelvin said.

His homecoming also was a surprise for Kristin. She knew her husband was returning this week, but she didn't know when. School administrators, who were in on the secret, simply told her to pick up her son after noon.

Another family member picked up Kelvin at the airport and drove him to the private school on South U.S. Highway 441 in Apopka.