A light rain fell over Savannah High Stadium as Alayna Duke, moved and swayed while playing her trumpet during the Savannah High Marching Band’s halftime performance Friday night.
Unbeknownst to her, her mom Chief Master Sergeant Alicia Stewart of the 165th Airlift Wing waited across the field.
Two weeks ago, Stewart had the idea to surprise her daughter, who thought she wasn’t returning home from her six-month deployment until the Sunday. After a couple of calls, it all came together. The hardest part was pretending that she was still seven hours ahead of her in Qatar.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
As the show ended the Blue Jackets marched off the field and stopped in formation on the track around it. Stewart made her way over as the announcer spoke about her deployment to Qatar. As the announcer welcomed her home, she wrapped her arms around her daughter. The pair embraced on the sideline as everyone applauded the reunion.
Richard Burkhart is the visual journalist for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at rbburkhart@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Deployed military mom surprises daughter during halftime of Savannah High football game
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