Soldier surprises daughter at school

PITTSFIELD, Maine (CNN/WABI) - A young girl in Maine got a very special surprise Thursday at school. She got to see her father for the first time in months.

During storytime in Mrs. Peasley's kindergarten class, the book of the day was "Hero Dad." U.S. Army Specialist Daniel Riendeau was there to help bring the story to life.

His daughter Jyllian, sitting in the classroom, had no idea her dad would be there. He'd been in Afghanistan for 10 months.

When her dad walked in, it was a very happy reunion.

"I really can't even describe how hard it is. It's easy to do everything that I do, it's a job, but being away from her makes it really hard," said Riendeau. "It's a great feeling though knowing that I get to see my Jylly. That's what I went over there for, ya know, to make a better life for her."