The emotional moment happened while 12-year-old Hailey Allen was attending an assembly at Mullica Township Middle School on Tuesday.
It was a roar of applause from the school after Hailey turned around to see her mother, Sergeant Lia Cater, back home after being deployed for 11 months with the New Jersey National Guard.
They wiped tears and could barely be pulled apart.
Ironically, Hailey was wearing her mother's command shirt for Tuesday's surprise.
----------
* More New Jersey news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube