A North Carolina Marine got the shock of a lifetime when he returned home from Afghanistan: his disabled son takes his first steps into his father's arms.

Staff Sgt. Jeremy Cooney entered the gymnasium to greet his family, saw his young son and crouched down to wait for his 6-year-old son to stagger into his arms.

Cooney's son suffers from the crippling disease cerebral palsy. Doctors said he would never walk on his own.

But Cooney's wife and three other children worked with him. The family kept the miracle a secret until Cooney came home.

They posted the video on their website the Welcome Home Blog.

Watch the entire video below.