Soldier-dad’s homecoming surprise creates magical, emotional moment for his sons — VIDEO

It was a surprise to last a lifetime.

Two brothers at Bunker Elementary School erupted in tears of joy Thursday when their dad, Maj. Beau Vinatieri, came home from a nine-month deployment in the Middle East and unexpectedly walked into the gym at the end of their music teacher’s Veterans Day program.

Vinatieri’s wife, Michelle, who teaches fourth grade at the school, couldn’t hold back tears either as she watched the surprise she helped plan unfold.

“It was beautiful. I’m so happy for them,” she said. “They had no idea.”

Beau Vinatieri had arrived in Las Vegas on Wednesday with about 150 other soldiers from the Nevada Army National Guard’s 17th Sustainment Brigade. The soldiers were bused to the Las Vegas Readiness Center to meet their families after landing at McCarran International Airport on a flight from Texas.

But the Vinatieri boys — Jeau, 10, and Keaul, 8 — had been told for months to count down the days to Monday, Nov. 14, when their dad was due to arrive home.

That led to a moment of sheer disbelief when their supposedly faraway father suddenly materialized in the Bunker gym four days early.

“I was really excited because I didn’t know if it was real or fake,” Jeau said of the moment when he spotted his dad. He bolted from the front of the stage, where he was standing as one of the program’s speakers, and grabbed him in a bear hug.

Keaul was sitting on the floor in the front row with his fellow second-graders.

“He came home early!” he shouted above the chatter of students surrounding him, before running to join the scrum.

Their father, wearing his camouflage uniform and a wide smile, said the ruse was well worth it.

“It was emotional. It was good. I’m glad I could do it,” he said.

He said it was tough, though, to spend Wednesday night at a resort instead of at home with the family he had not seen since January.

The 17th Sustainment Brigade was based in Kuwait, but its 240 soldiers were spread among eight Middle East countries to help run the supply effort to defeat Islamic State militants in Iraq.

Vinatieri, 36, said friendly forces are gaining ground against the militants, often referred to as ISIS fighters.

“The great thing about it is, we’re giving all the gear and ammo to the Iraq forces and Kurdish forces and they are doing the heavy lifting,” he said. “They’re the ones kicking down doors and fighting ISIS. It’s nice not having the U.S. soldiers in harm’s way as much.

“It’s a different way to fight a war, but I think it’s a smart way to do it.”

In late October, the brigade handed duty responsibilities to a unit from the New York National Guard. Then the Nevada soldiers flew to an Army post in Texas to complete demobilization.

Vinatieri, whose brother, Adam, is the place-kicker for the Indianapolis Colts — and at 43 the oldest player in the National Football League — got to watch the Colts beat the Green Bay Packers on TV on Sunday at Fort Hood, Texas.

“There were about 25 of us watching the game,” he said, noting that Adam split the uprights to extend his record to 44 straight field goals. “Hopefully he can keep it going all year.”

Contact Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308. Find him on Twitter: @KeithRogers2