Heartwarming moment soldier, 36, is reunited with his daughters at the airport as he returns home after four months away with the Army
- Gary Farrell, 36, was reunited with his daughters after four months away in Army
- Pixi, nine, and Ivy, seven, thought they were picking up uncle at Luton airport
- Mother Amy, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, surprised them both with their father
- Gary been posted in Poland for the last four months and returned for two weeksVideo footage captured the heartwarming moment a father was reunited with his two daughters at the airport after returning home from the Army.
Mother Amy Farrell, 37, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, planned the reunion with her husband Gary, 36, after finding out he was able to return home for two weeks after spending four months away from his family in Poland.
Gary works as a CSgt Farrell with the ISR Company in 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment in Poland and left on March 30.
Amy Farrell surprised her daughter's with their father's return home - telling them they were going to collect their uncle from the airport before their father walked through the arrivals gate
Amy explained it could be another two years before Gary has to go away again and that he only goes on exercises for six-ten weeks once a year
Amy, who runs her own children's business, took their daughters Pixi, nine, and Ivy, seven, to Luton airport on August 2 and told them they were picking up their uncle from a trip.But to the girls surprise, their father walked round the corner as the pair of them ran up and hugged them - leaving the whole family in tears as they were finally reunited.
Amy explained: 'Gary has been in the Army for 17 years so this is something we have had to live with for quite a while.'He's out there for seven and a half months and we wasn't sure if he would be able to come home until October but he called me and told me he was going to be able to take two weeks leave.
'My girls had said goodbye and were prepared to not see their dad again until October so it was a huge surprise.
'This is the first time he's been away for a long period of time - Ivy in particular found it extremely difficult but we just have to get into a new routine and I try to keep them busy.
Gary works as a CSgt Farrell with the ISR Company in 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment in Poland and left on March 30
'I didn't tell them anything because I was worried his flights would be cancelled or something would go wrong so I didn't want to get their hopes up.
'They thought they were at the airport to pick up their uncle so as soon as they saw him, they ran towards him and my eldest started crying. It was a really emotional moment'.
Gary often has to leave home for a few weeks to go on exercises but this is the first time he's been away for a long period of time.
Amy added: 'I run two businesses and the children are at school so we get into a routine but I try to keep the weekends as busy as possible.
Amy kept Gary's arrival a secret until he walked through the arrivals gate because she was worried his flight may be cancelled
He often has to leave home for a few weeks to go on exercises but this is the first time he's been away for a long period of time
'It's harder for Gary because he doesn't have much to do at the weekends and has to stay in camps so he's just sat there thinking about us.
'We're lucky because he's in Poland and the internet is good so we're able to Whatsapp him and speak regularly.
'I had butterflies at the airport because I knew he was just on the other side of the wall waiting for his luggage. These moments make up for the time he's gone.
'After the video was filmed, we drove four hours up to Newcastle to visit his family who he hasn't seen for over a year'.
Gary is going back out to Poland in a week and won't return home again until October.
Gary has to leave his family again in a week to head back to Poland and won't be back again until October
Amy said: 'I'm dreading it - we will have to drop him off at camp and then he'll get on transport to go to the airport to be posted over to Poland. There will be lots and lots of tears.
'We have the Little Troopers charity that help children of deployed parents to help us through it.
'We've done four months already so we only have two left - we tick the days off so they know when he's coming home.
'It could be another two years before he goes away again so it's intermittentand when he's home, he only goes on exercises for six-ten weeks once a year'.
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