A sailor dad who has served in the military for more than 30 years gave his kids one final surprise homecoming as he returned from his final ever deployment.
The surprise reunions marked the end of a 33-year military journey for Navy Captain Edwin “Ned” Smith.
He started working on the surprises with his wife, Brittany Smith, 43, who was back home in Apollo Beach, Florida, and looking after their eight kids.
Ned, 55, a Captain in the United States Navy, finally returned home from his third unaccompanied deployment in the last decade – a deployment that had lasted 18 months – last September.
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Brittany secretly orchestrated everything, Ned said, adding: “She has made every deployment homecoming epic for everyone involved. This final act was probably her best.”
Once the Navy gave the family Ned’s return date, Brittany began coordinating with school officials to create a three-stop homecoming across their county.
The first stop was the high school where his triplets Miley, Tierney, and Lily, all 15, attended.
Working with the principal and leadership, Brittany arranged for Ned to stand at the end of a long line of students waiting outside the school.
When the doors opened and Miley, Tierney and Luly began walking out, there was their dad, bringing the group together for a tearful reunion hug.
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The students cheered as the triplets saw him, and after 18 months apart, the emotions immediately took over, as Ned joked, “Start the waterworks.”
Next came York Elementary School, where Jaxon,9, was waiting.
With help from school staff, Ned entered his son’s classroom through a back entrance and waited for the moment Jaxon noticed him.
At first, Jaxon looked almost frozen, before Ned broke the silence and said, “Dad’s finally home.”
The words were followed by a huge hug between father and son that nearly knocked Ned over.
The final stop was preschool, where Zander, 5, was waiting.
Once again, Brittany had planned the moment perfectly, with Zander sitting on a swing while a staff member pushed him from behind.
Slowly, Ned stepped in and took over, and for several pushes, Zander didn’t realize anything had changed.
When he turned around and saw his dad, the five-year-old could not hide his emotions.
By the end of the day, Ned admitted he was exhausted from the tears – but grateful for the memories created.
Brittant said: “He was forever grateful for the core memories minted.
“We live in a military community.
“So many have walked out our journey in their own way.
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“I felt an enormous amount of respect and appreciation. They get it.”
For Ned, the homecoming represented much more than the end of a deployment.
It represented the end of a 33-year journey.
He said: “It was like reaching the end of a 33-year ultra marathon.
“It was a glorious adventure – so many trials, tribulations, and challenges coupled with so many great memories, shipmates, and warrior friends made.
“Military service is a family burden.
“And my family did more than most.”
