From the moment he saw that familiar face walk into his Blanco Vista Elementary classroom, Pre-K student Miguel Gueveca-Rojo couldn’t contain the joy that welled up.

That person, dressed in his Sunday best and clutching a teddy bear with military fatigues, was someone he hasn’t seen in nearly a year’s time.

His dad, Jorge Soto, a Sgt. 1st Class in the U.S. Army, was back home for a short period from his deployment and paid the Pre-K student a surprise visit. It was a moment Soto ...