When Washington Township School 6th grader Madison Tsotigh sat down for her study hall class on Thursday, she had no idea a very special person was going to give her a big surprise. As she looked down at her homework, Tsotigh felt a hand on her back. When she turned around, she saw her mom for the first time in seven months.

When the two hugged, the 6th grader didn’t want to let go of her camo-clad mom.

“I am so thankful to be home before Christmas this year,” Sherri Wiser, human resources technician for the military, said.

Wiser, who has served for 26 years, was deployed in Ukraine for a year and only saw her daughter for short deployment breaks and Facetime.

“I was really happy to surprise her before she found me,” Wiser said.

Thank you to Sherri Wiser & all the other brave men and women serving both abroad and at home in defense of our nation.

We salute you.