Maj. Brian Griefer (right) is sworn in as a detective sergeant with the Bergen County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office by Lt. Col. Ronald Turk via video web-cam. Photo courtesy 447th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron.

Maj. Brian Griefer of the 108th Air Refueling Wing Security Forces had a great surprise during his deployment to Iraq when he was promoted to sergeant on Feb. 27.

His civilian job in the Bergen County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office arranged a surprise promotion party at a distance via video web-cam to promote him to Detective Sergeant with the prosecutor’s office.

Commander of the 108th Security Forces Squadron and 447th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron in Iraq, Lt. Col. Ronald Turk called Griefer into the “wired” room and Griefer was totally unprepared for what was about to happen.

When he showed up on the screen at the New Jersey conference room, his coworkers, who also did not know about the upcoming promotion, yelled their hellos. Prosecutor John Molinelli then announced, “Brian, it’s my intention this morning – and for you this evening – to promote you to the rank of sergeant.”

With a round of applause from the New Jersey crowd, the new major-sergeant (not to be confused with a sergeant major) thanked the prosecutor. Turk assisted with the swearing-in of the Detective Sergeant.

Griefer’s fiancée, Susan Grimstead, was in the audience enjoying her first sight of him since his deployment in September.

According to reports, once the new Detective Sergeant returns to his civilian job, he will have a supervisory position in one of the office’s more active squads, the Sex Crimes Unit.