NewsPositively Hampton Roads

Actions

Virginia Beach Navy Commander surprises daughter at school in emotional homecoming

Posted at 2:23 PM, Nov 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-07 14:23:47-05

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A Virginia Beach mother and Navy commander surprised her daughter at school Wednesday after returning from deployment, according to Saint Gregory the Great Catholic School.

Zoe Bernadette Arantz, CDR USN Commanding Officer USS Nitze (DDG 94), returned home on the Arleigh Burke-class naval destroyer USS Nitze after a seven-month deployment.

Video posted by Saint Gregory the Great Catholic School shows Arantz and her daughter Sophia, a seventh-grader, reuniting in front of Sophia’s classmates, with Sophia running into her mother’s arms.

“Thank you, Commander Arantz for your unwavering service to our country, thank you, Sophia, for your sacrifice as a daughter, you are a shining example of strength and courage and thank you to the Arantz family for allowing SGGS to be a part of your story,” Saint Gregory the Great Catholic School said on Facebook. “Welcome home!”