U.S. Army Specialist and Wareham native Julio Canizales did not expect to be followed by the Wareham Police after returning home from Afghanistan and Germany on July 4.

But a squad of police cars, fire trucks, and basically any other vehicle with lights and sirens is exactly what he got when he entered into Wareham off of Route 495.

"It was pretty awesome. I wasn't expecting that at all. I thought we were getting stalked," he said.

With lights flashing and sirens blaring, the squad of emergency vehicles accompanied Canizales down Route 28 and to Main Street before turning onto Sandwich Road and then Apple Street, where Canizales lives.

The surprise welcome home was an inspired effort put together in less than a week.

Canizales' sister, Ana Canizales, contacted members of the organization "A Hero's Welcome" on June 30 to inform them of her brother's return.

A Hero's Welcome is a Philadelphia-based organization that coordinates welcoming events for soldiers returning from duty.

The organization then contacted the Wareham Selectmen, setting off a litany of phone calls to public safety officials, to see if they would enlist themselves in the service of welcoming Canizales home.

"They volunteered right away. There was no question. Everybody just said yes," said Selectmen Chair Steve Holmes.

Family and friends surrounded Canizales after he arrived on Apple Street while Holmes gave him a plaque honoring him for his service to his country.

"This is my brother. I love him. He deserves it," said Ana Canizales. "He sacrificed a lot so he deserves it. … It's kind of like a symbol of what he's done for us."

Canizales' mother Kerry Giron also appreciated the town's efforts.

"It's nice recognition of what he's done for the country from the town," said Giron.

Ana Canizales added: "Kind of a way for them to show their support, their support for what he did."

Family members were happy to see Canizales, but the happiest to see him was probably his son, Elijah.

Elijah had last seen his father after being born late last year. It was a lucky stroke of fate that Canizales was able to be there for his son's birth.

Canizales arrived home for a two-week leave on December 28, 2011. His initial arrival date was January 1.

Son Elijah had a due date of January 2. Perhaps he just could not wait to see his father, however, because he was born early on December 29, the day after his father arrived.

At that time, Elijah could not do much more than be cuddled and held by his father (and get his diapers changed). Now, said Canizales' wife, Falicia, things are a little bit different.

"Elijah hasn't seen him since he was two weeks old, so he's changed a lot," Falicia said. "Now he can sit up and play, and be more active."

Canizales was deployed to Afghanistan in August of 2011 as a combat engineer, meaning that he specializes in looking for and diffusing bombs, Giron explained. "He's in one of the most dangerous positions. He goes ahead of the troops."

Canizales will head back to his home base in Schweinfurt, Germany on July 30 after less than a month at home.

Canizales will next return to the U.S. in October, where he will be stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado. He plans to re-enlist in the Army once his current enlistment is up, Gorin said.

For the time being, however, Canizales said he is going to enjoy the moment and the extra special day July 4 turned out to be for him and his family.

"I'm going to drink some beers and hang out with family and friends," Canizales said about his first "mission" upon returning home.

Gorin added: "I'm excited that we get to spend time as a family."

For more information about A Hero's Welcome, please visit its website at: http://aheros-welcome.org/.