Army mom surprises 2 kids at Long Beach elementary school

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Monday, May 1, 2017
Military mom reunited with kids
Amy Freeze has the story.

LONG ISLAND, New York -- A U.S. soldier based overseas who hadn't seen her young children since Thanksgiving had a chance to give them a mother's love -- in person.

Army Sgt. Shanasia Lowe was able to make a quick stop in New York during a brief layover Friday, giving her two kids a surprise that might last forever.

The moment came during circle time at East Elementary School in Long Beach on Long Island.

Third-grader Ja'Mell Jones was joined by his 4-year-old sister, Jai'liyah Gaines, and the two leaped for joy when they saw their mom walk into the room.

Watch the raw video of the reunion here:

Watch the unedited video showing a soldier surprise her two children at their school in Long Beach, Long Island. (Video courtesy: Long Beach Public Schools)

Little Jai'Liyah buried her face in her mom's shoulder, while Ja'Mell gave her a card.

Army Sgt. Shanasia Lowe is stationed 6,300 miles away in Germany. She had just a 4-hour slot to be with them.

"That was the longest I could get a layover for," Sgt. Lowe said. "I haven't seen them in six months. Today, I was excited. It's hard, a lot of times we do have to make sacrifices to protect our country."

Mother's Day came a little sooner and the celebration might be a little shorter, but this special day is one they will all be holding onto.

Report a typo to the ABC13 staff