An 11-year-old catching a pitch during her softball game turned around to discover her Marine uncle standing behind home plate after returning from deployment. Catcher Athena, from Sidney, Ohio, is very close to uncle Marcus, 23, a corporal with the U.S Marines. Athena’s mom, Jessica, 31, shares that close bond with her brother, too, but with Marcus being based in California and then deployed to Japan, the pair hadn’t been together in more than a year. When Jessica received news her brother was heading home earlier than the family thought, she decided to work on a surprise reunion for Athena. Having mentioned the surprise to a few people associated with Athena's softball league, the family decided Marcus would walk behind Athena, who would be playing catcher during the game. The plan worked perfectly on May 28, with Athena spinning to see a familiar face standing over her, with Marcus dressed in his Marine uniform. As soon as everything clicked, Athena moved towards her beloved uncle to give him an emotional hug.