Military homecoming: Mom surprises kids at Garden Grove schools

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. - Two Garden Grove students got a big surprise when their military mom arrived at their school.  

U.S. Army Reservist Dely Labunog served in Kuwait and Iraq for more than a year. She came home two weeks early and wanted to give her kids a big surprise.  

She visited her son Julian’s school at Bell Intermediate and dressed up as the school’s Roadrunner mascot. During Julian’s math class, his teacher brought in the mascot and had him teach the mascot math. During his math lesson, his mom removed the mascot’s head and revealed herself.  

Dely then visited her daughter Elizah at Enders Elementary School. Her first grader teacher told the class a special visitor from the military was visiting. Dely walked into the classroom and surprised her daughter who ran up and hugged her.  

"It was hard being away from them for more than a year, but I would look forward to our happy times when we could talk on the phone. Now I’m home and in my happy place," Dely said in a statement provided by Garden Grove Unified School District.

The school district said her husband worked with the school principals to coordinate the surprise.

Dely has been in the service for 12 years.