A woman expecting a grill delivery thought she’d received the wrong item - only for her Army husband to burst from the box after returning home early from deployment. Lieutenant Colonel Rob Gerlach had not seen his wife Elizabeth or their children in 10 months while he served in Kuwait and travelled to Iraq and Qatar. Doting husband Rob, 50, was determined to make up for his absence in a big way and began researching how to surprise his family when he returned home. He looked up other homecoming surprises soldiers had undertaken in the past and discovered he couldn’t find any reunions with a “delivery” element to them. Rob, from St. Charles, Illinois, has worked for Sears for over 33 years. He contacted his employers to see if they’d help make his vision a reality. Rob led Elizabeth, 45, to believe they were being given a grill as a thank-you to the family for his service, but when the box was delivered, she got a big surprise. On delivery day, Elizabeth - being secretly filmed from a distance - answered the door and looked confused. She told the delivery drivers she was expecting a grill, not a fridge. The Sears staff then removed the front of the box, allowing Rob to burst out with a bouquet of flowers in hand, completely surprising Elizabeth.