Military reunion videos always have that element of surprise, followed by an outpouring of emotion that can melt the hardest of hearts. Now, a first-grade teacher gets the shock of her life after an unexpected visit from her military mom leaves the entire class gasping.

In the video, the elementary school teacher looks directly at the woman in military uniform entering the classroom and immediately drops her mask to make sure who it is.

Samantha Norris wasn’t expecting her mother, an Army sergeant, and was shocked to see her in her classroom.

Her students quickly realized what was happening, with many saying “That’s her mom” as the mother and daughter hugged in the video.

Samantha said she still can’t believe what happened, “He always has surprises, but this one I didn’t expect at all,” she said.

Samantha’s mother entered the classroom after a year-long deployment to Iraq, we are grateful for these two women, one educating the future of America and the other protecting us all.