Family surprises soldier on leave from Korea

A member of the United States Air Force got quite the surprise Tuesday evening when he returned to Cedar Rapids on leave from Korea.

Senior Airman Kelly Jellingson flew into the Eastern Iowa Airport and found that a good portion of his family was waiting for him.

“I was just like, ‘what the crap?'  I usually have one or two people here to pick me up,” Jellingson said.

He had originally told his brother he would be coming home on leave from South Korea and wanted to surprise the family.

It turned out, his father, Lee Jellingson, a sergeant in the Iowa National Guard, used his connections and found out when his son would arrive.

So the family was standing there with signs and shirts with Kelly's picture on them when Jellingson got off the plane.

“He had been deployed for a year.  All day, from the moment I got up, I couldn't wait to see him walk off the plane,” Lee Jellingson said.

This is Jellingson's third trip to Korea. He is a Senior Airman and will return to Korea in 10 days.