Havertown man surprises daughter after spending months fighting in Ukraine

HAVERTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A man who fought for his country in the Army took his expertise to Ukraine, where he's been helping to fight Russian forces.

On Thursday, Major Patrick Creed made a surprise return home to Havertown.

It happened inside the library of his daughter's school, Haverford Middle School.

Creed hid flowers on a chair as he sat alone at a table in the back of the library. His daughter, who had been told she'd be visiting with an author, rounded the corner in the library and realized who was sitting there.

After looks of confusion and shock, a big smile spread across her face.

"Hi Molly Creed," her father said with a laugh as she threw herself in her father's arms and hugged him.

It's the hug Creed has been waiting to give his daughter for four months while he was away fighting in Ukraine.

"Our neighbors here in Havertown are Ukrainian, and I wanted to do all I could to help," he said. "I figured I could do something: drive a truck, dig a ditch, use my military experience as best I could."

For the Iraq War veteran, it was a chance to help that his wife knew he couldn't pass up.

"He had a military history and really felt like he could do something to help, which is the kind of person he is," said Michele Creed.

This is Creed's third trip to Ukraine. Between the trips, he's spent more than 200 days in the country on missions that involved combat and training Ukrainian soldiers.

6abc featured Creed's story after his first trip to Ukraine.

READ | Havertown veteran recalls terror fighting in Ukraine, speaks about missing American

"It's a war zone," he said. "You never were at places where there weren't air raid sirens, missiles falling out of the sky."

This most recent trip was his third, and he promises it's his last.

"I'm not going to go back and fight anymore," he said to Molly. "I'll just help from here."

Thursday's big surprise could be considered his last covert mission.

"I had no idea," said Molly of the fact that he dad would be at school.

Creed's flight got in late Wednesday night. His wife picked him up at the airport and hid him in the guest room, so Molly wouldn't see him when she got up from school.

The only family member who almost gave it away was the dog, who wouldn't stop staring at the guest room door.

Done with his travels to Ukraine, Creed's now content to be a softball dad.

"You know, (I've) got to make him proud," said Molly, who her dad brags is the power hitter for her team.

Creed is looking forward to getting a slice of pizza from the family's favorite place, Cenzo's Pizzeria in Havertown.

"Europeans try hard," he said with a smile, "but they just cannot make a pizza."

What he's looking forward to even more is a lot more family time.

"It's so nice to be back," he said.