Oklahoma Army Captain Surprises Daughter During History Class

"I'll be home for Christmas" was more than just a song for an Oklahoma soldier this week as he surprised his daughter in the middle of her school day.

Army Captain Jeff Ford just got in last night from Afghanistan, where he's deployed until this spring, and he just made it home to Oklahoma City Tuesday morning.  This is his first time back home since he left, and he wanted to do something special for his daughter Victoria.

"I think she's probably gonna cry," said Ford when asked about this morning's plan.  But when asked if he might himself, he wasn't so sure.  "I'm gonna try not to, not while the camera's rolling," he said.

Ford sneaked into Victoria's history class with a little help from Santa Claus, another Putnam City North teacher.  

Turns out the class was in the middle of a test, but many students had finished when 
Santa walked in.  As the students turned their attention to the front of the classroom and Santa, Ford waited patiently in the hallway.

Victoria Ford was the first called to receive a "present" from Santa, but as she stood up, her father Ford walked in the room. 

Both father and daughter got a little emotional, but true to his word, Captain Ford didn't cry.

However, Victoria wasn't the only one in the room to shed some tears.  Another student, Emma Hutchison, just couldn't help herself.

"I just felt for her," she said.  "I don't really know why I started crying, I just did."

Captain Ford and his daughter have two weeks to be a family again before he goes back to finish his deployment.