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EAST BEND, N.C. — A year-long deployment to Afghanistan ended in a sweet surprise for a North Carolina 7-year-old girl.

Thursday, Army Spc. Steven Rohrer shocked his daughter and her first-grade class at Forbush Elementary School in East Bend with a special reunion. Alli and Steven Rohrer spent months planning his return. Rohrer returned late Wednesday night and surprised his daughter, Grace, during school on Thursday.

Rohrer was on a overseas tour in Germany when he was deployed to Afghanistan.

"It's said in the Military community a lot that the whole family serves. Even though you've got one member of the family in the Military, everyone deals with being in the military," said Steven Rohrer.

His wife reminisced on all that goes on that he does not see throughout his deployment.

"I'm seeing her grow, and I think he doesn't quite get what he's missing, because he's missing it," said Alli Rohrer.

Rohrer's return home shocked Grace. Her mother said Tuesday night Grace was crying over missing her dad. The family is no stranger to separation. Over the past two-years, Rohrer said they have only been together about six weeks. Grace said she has several plans for catching up with her father.

"We're going to go to the pool, and we're going to play with each other, and I can show him my castle," said Grace Rohrer.

Spc. Steven Rohrer will remain with his family for the next 40-days before he's stationed in Georgia at Fort Stewart.