OCEAN VIEW, De.- It was the surprise of a lifetime for five-year-old Kylie Mulrooney. After a year apart, her mother Gigi Mulrooney, who was away on a mission in the Middle East, surprised her in the classroom.
"I've been waiting for this ever since I left," says Petty Officer First Class Gigi Mulrooney from Millsboro.
Mulrooney has been with the U.S. Navy for eight years. Shortly after graduating high school, she went to boot camp in Great Lakes and was later stationed in San Diego for four years. Mulrooney was on the USS Germantown and USS Harper's Ferry. Her ship was in Japan during 2011, in support of Operation Tomodachi, which awarded her with the Humanitarian Relief Medal.
After her active duty contract, Mulrooney joined the Navy Reserves and worked out of Naval Operational Support Center New Castle and Coastal Riverine Squadron 8, out of Annapolis. In 2018, she was deployed in the Middle East with Coastal Riverine Squadron 3, in support of Operation Spartan Shield. The time apart from her daughter, Kylie, was a big challenge.
"We would video chat every night, so that was always wonderful to have," she adds.
Today, with the help of Lord Baltimore Elementary, Malrooney surprised her daughter.
"I open the door and I see her sitting at her desk and immediately the tears started coming because I love her," says Mulrooney.
Kylie was expecting her mother to return home but not until April. The girls are now planning a 10-day vacation together, including a trip to Disney to meet the princesses.