W. Babylon 7th-Grader Receives Surprise Visit From Marine Brother

WEST BABYLON, NY - It was an emotional morning for one West Babylon Jr. High School student who got a surprise visit on Thursday.

Erik Banegas, 20, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, told his whole family when he was coming back from deployment — except for his little brother, 13-year-old George Miaris.

Banegas told his family not to tell Miaris of his arrival and even went so far as to block his brother on social media in order to keep the surprise.

"He told my mom and even some of his teachers at school that his biggest dream was to get surprised by me," Banegas said.

So after arriving from Hawaii, Banegas arrived at his brother's school along with their mother and waited on the sidelines of the gym as the students were in the middle of an assembly.

"I'm really excited; honestly, I've seen pictures and he looks taller than when I last saw him," Banegas said prior to seeing his brother. "He's probably taller than me now."

He also predicted that his brother would cry.

"Last time he cried, so hopefully he won't cry this time. I don't want to embarrass him too much," he said.

Banegas then walked out to a cheering crowd, searching the bleachers for his brother until the 7th-grader quickly recognized his big brother and ran down to give him a huge hug as his peers and teachers looked on happily.

The brothers had not seen each other since December when Banegas was stationed in Hawaii.

"I was figuring he was going to come home on Saturday, but I guess he came home today and it felt weird because I was picturing this and I was thinking about this last night," Miaris said.

This isn't the first time that Banegas has surprised Miaris in the two years he has been in the Marines.

The first time was when Miaris was entering a skateboarding tournament.

"I ended up getting second place because I saw him but it's okay," he said.

The second time was when Miaris was performing in a musical in Greece. At the end of the show Banegas approached him backstage, wearing his normal clothes, not his uniform, and he told Miaris much to his surprise that he was in the audience the whole time.

This time, since his brother is finally back for the summer, Miaris said they're both going to the beach to get a "nice tan."

"I want to spend as much time with him as I possibly can," he said.

In addition, the two have a busy summer ahead, with a trip to Greece planned.

Despite the fact that the two have a seven-year age difference, there is an obvious closeness between the siblings.

"My little brother is the best. He's probably the most mature 13-year-old I've ever met and I treat him like one of my guys," Banegas said.

"I remember when I was really young, I regret saying this, but I pushed my brother away and when he went away to the Marines I missed him so much. It feels great that he's back home," Miaris said.