Military dad's early return surprises teen at Capitol ceremony

DES MOINES — Samantha Frey's dream came true.

The Parkersburg teenager experienced a joyous reunion when her military father returning from a yearlong overseas tour of duty surprised her during a ceremony Friday at the Iowa Capitol.

Samantha Frey Samantha, 16, was being honored during a Military Child Month ceremony in the Capitol rotunda when her father, Staff Sgt. James Frey of the U.S. Army Iowa National Guard, sneaked in from behind the ceremony and surprised her.

Upon seeing her father, Samantha immediately threw her arms around him and began sobbing.

'I saw him, and I still feel like this isn't real,' Samantha said. 'I feel so blessed. It feels good to have my dad home.'

Frey wasn't scheduled to arrive home from his second National Guard tour for another week, Samantha said. His unit was based in Kuwait for the past year and flew missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Samantha, a sophomore at Aplington-Parkersburg High School, said she has watched videos and television shows showing similar homecoming surprises and dreamed about experiencing one. She said she even had a dream Thursday night that she would see her father at the Capitol on Friday.

'I was upset this morning, because I was like, 'Now I'm going to be sad. He's not going to come home,' ' Samantha said.

During the ceremony, Samantha read an essay she wrote about being a military child. She described the heartbreaking moment when a military parent leaves his or her family at the airport.

In her essay, Samantha said she remembered the clean, fresh smell of her father's uniform as she hugged him goodbye.

After speaking, Samantha was given a Commander's Coin by Maj. Gen. Timothy Orr, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard, in recognition of her support for her family.

As Orr spoke, Frey walked into the rotunda and behind Samantha. 'That was really amazing,' Samantha said afterward.