You have heard or read stories about returning military veterans surprising their loved ones. This time, it was the veteran who was surprised.

Army Staff Sgt. Jason Sisson, just back from nine months in Kuwait (his third tour to the Middle East), was invited to visit his first grade son Jayden's class at CMSD’s Clark Elementary School on Monday morning.

Instead he was greeted by cheering, flag- and sign-waving teachers and 600 students. There were many hugs and high-fives because  Sisson is also the school's basketball coach and knows many of the children at the West Side school.

Besides Jayden, the crowd included his wife, Isel, a Clark teacher. She was profiled in 2012 by The Plain Dealer as a "Community Hero" in her own right, http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/12/isel_sissons_commitment_to_her.html.