He's been deployed overseas with the Navy for the past year, but a Long Island dad just completed his most important mission yet.

Ava and Andrew Stock were called up to the stage during an assembly Wednesday at Lynwood Avenue Elementary School to receive awards. But to their surprise, there were no medals or certificates.

Jacob Stock, who is in the U.S. Navy and is a Suffolk County police officer, returned home from a deployment in Bahrain that separated the family by 6,000 miles for more than a year.

"I love my family. It's tough being away. Now I've got an even bigger responsibility taking care of my family back home," says Jacob Stock.

The day was not only a joy for the children, but for Jacob's wife Kelly, too.

 

"While I shed tears throughout the deployment, today for me was really happy and exciting," says Kelly Stock. "Happy that they got to be surprised and see him and know that he's going to be home now. So it makes it all worth it."

When principal Dr. Danielle DeLorenzo heard Jacob was returning home, she organized the surprise reunion and made it a teaching moment for students.

"We have to support our men and women overseas and teach children in school to be patriotic, and to value that there are people who leave their families to go serve and to protect our freedoms," says DeLorenzo.

Jacob says now that he's back home, he's excited to finally eat some New York pizza again. School staff made sure the family's next few meals will be on them by collecting $400 to celebrate Stock's homecoming.