She went to Mineta-San Jose International Airport to welcome home troops returning from Afghanistan and what she did not know was that her daughter was one of the soldiers coming home.
The surprise arrival of Army Sgt. Aimee Magnus was a secret operation complete with a codename. San Jose Blue Star moms help set up the reunion that was greeted with yells, smiles and tears.
Magnus surprised her mother Patricia Giordano by arriving home from her 12-month tour in Afghanistan almost a week early. The tearful surprise was orchestrated by Sgt. Magnus with the help of San Jose Blue Star moms.
More than 20 of the moms, family and veterans managed to keep the reunion a secret from Giordano. She was told she would be joining other Blue Star moms at the airport to greet a soldier by the name of JT Walker. The last person she expected to see was her daughter.
"I'm so excited," she said. "I can't describe how I feel. It's so good to see her. She's back home from Afghanistan. It's wonderful."
"I love my job over there," Magnus told ABC7. "I miss my guys over there, but I'm glad to be home."
"It just warms your heart and you just wish the very best for the soldier and airmen, sailors, everybody serving," said Blue Star mom Christina Klag.
Giordano says her daughter is going to be surrounded by family for the month she is in San Jose. Sgt. Magnus says so far, there is no indication that she will be returning to Afghanistan.
