WASHINGTON – One family got an extra surprise Monday after seeing their beloved husband and father, deployed to Afghanistan, on the Braves jumbo-tron.

He wasn’t deployed at all, and appeared in real life.

The heartwarming moment for the Sims family was shared with the entire crowd in the fifth inning at the game against the Cardinals. Robin Sims and children Brittney, 13, Bree Anna, 10, and Dustin, 12, from Centerville, Ga., gathered on the infield to witness a message from Air Force Master Sgt. David Sims on the big screen. He was deployed to Afghanistan and wanted to send them a special Memorial Day message.

To the great surprise of his family, and the crowd, he then walked out onto the field from the first base line, and was greated with a tearful group hug. It turns out he was able to return home a week early.

Check out the stirring moment here:

Follow WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)