Greensburg boys get surprise reunion with Air National Guard father

It was all tears and shock when brothers Liam and Connor Gallagher turned around Friday at Aquinas Academy in Greensburg and saw their father.

Patrick Gallagher, a master sergeant in the Air National Guard, walked out of the school kitchen. Gallagher had been deployed for six of the last nine months, first in Afghanistan and then in Guam. He traveled through the night, leaving Hawaii about 1:30 a.m., and welcomed his family back into his arms nearly 12 hours later.

“It feels great to be back …I missed my boys,” said Gallagher of Greensburg.

The boys were gathered in the cafeteria for a school gathering during the annual Crusade Field Day, as Principal Joe Rice talked about the importance of family. “Today, I get to bring a family back together,” Rice said. “Liam, Connor, turn around.”

Liam, 11, dropped his jaw in shock and then took off running toward his dad. Connor, 18, dropped to his knees, covering his face with his T-shirt, crying as his dad and brother held each other in a tight hug.

“I haven’t seen my oldest cry in a little while, so that made me feel pretty good,” Gallagher said.

The boys woke up this morning with a text from their dad saying his plane had broken down and he was delayed.

“It changed my life. I can’t even explain it,” Liam Gallagher said. “This never happened before, and it feels really nice to see my dad at school. I was really frustrated when he told me his plane was delayed and he wouldn’t be home until Saturday or Sunday. It had ruined my day. So I am just really happy.”