NORFOLK, Va. - The weekend is off to a wonderful start for a local military family.
Chief Petty Officer Douglas Edmonston came home and surprised his three kids at the Tides game Friday night. He just came home from his sixth Navy deployment.
He even got a special shout out in the middle of the fifth inning!
His kids were definitely surprised, but once the shock wore off, they were all smiles for the rest of the night. The family got to watch the game from a special VIP box.
The surprise was part of the Tides' "Salute to Service" program.
"I think we just want to get back to normal life - the day-to-day, hanging out, eating dinner, sitting the backyard... we missed out on a lot. It's been a rough nine months," said Edmonston's wife, Erica.
Edmonston just spent the last nine months in Africa and says the heat in Hampton Roads right now isn't that bad.
Watch: USS Kearsarge and USS Arlington return to Norfolk
The family says they have a lot of vacations planned - including trips to Busch Gardens, Disney World and the Great Wolf Lodge - but most of all, they're looking forward to spending time together and catching up.
