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Navy Father Surprises Son At School After 20-Month Separation

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS Local) -- A young Wisconsin boy got the surprise of a lifetime Monday when his military dad showed up unexpectedly at gym class.

Ethan Anderson, 7, had not seen his father in person for 20 months and wasn't expecting to see him again until April.

Lt. Commander Jon-Andrew Anderson-Ingebrigtsen had been serving as the commanding officer of the Navy coastal patrol ship USS Chinook PC-9 in Bahrain since April 2017.

When he learned he was returning to the U.S. earlier than expected for a new job at the Pentagon, he decided to surprise his son at St. Monica Catholic School in Milwaukee.

Military dad surprises son at school by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on YouTube

"I can't believe it," a grinning Ethan told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I didn't recognize him for a few seconds because he usually wears a blue uniform."

Anderson-Ingebrigtsen said he couldn't be happier to see his son.

"I feel amazing. We used to talk every morning on FaceTime. I'd call every morning at 4 a.m. in Bahrain and talk to him here before we go to bed... when I wasn't on a mission. He's here now, you can touch him... like he's right there," Anderson-Ingebrigtsen he told CBS affiliate WDJT.

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