Deployed For A Year, Air Force Mom Surprises Sons At School 'Assembly'

SEVERN, Md. (WJZ) -- An emotional homecoming happened at an Anne Arundel elementary school today, when a military mom became part of a school assembly.

The Air Force master sergeant, who just spent many months in Korea away from her husband and three sons, had an audience of hundreds of kids, but she was there for two in particular.

"They've been asking me every day if I knew when I was coming home and I've been telling them no I didn't know," Kathleen tells WJZ's Devin Bartolotta.

At Quarterfield Elementary in Severn, the principal, the teachers and friends in the classroom all know Michael and Levi were missing mom a lot.

"He keeps mentioning that she's coming home soon," says teacher Bree Gramil. "He keeps telling me every morning."

The kids filed in for what they thought was a random acts of kindness assembly Thursday. In reality, it was something in the works for more than a year.

"Honestly, I've been waiting for it since the day I left, for this moment to actually come home and be with them," Kathleen says.

Today, that moment came.

When the assembly turned out to be the boys' emotional reunion with mom, it left almost everyone speechless.

Watch the video above.

Before surprising her two youngest at the elementary school, Kathleen picked up her oldest son at his high school. He was just as surprised.

Even while mom was away, she Skyped with the kids every day and kept in touch with teachers to make sure they did their homework.

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