Soldier surprises wife at hospital where she works after 9-month deployment
KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX/Gray News) - When a Texas soldier got home from a nine-month deployment, his first stop was the hospital where his wife works for a sweet surprise.
U.S. Army Capt. William “Will” Nase, 29, returned home Wednesday from a nine-month deployment in Europe and headed to Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s, the hospital where his wife, 28-year-old Nicole Nase, works as a nurse.
Nicole’s co-workers were in on the surprise and asked her to get a snack with them on a different floor of the hospital, KWTX reports. They took the elevator, and when the doors opened, Will was waiting on the other side.
“Surprise!” Nicole’s co-workers shouted.
Nicole quickly ran and jumped into Will’s arms in a sweet reunion caught on camera. The couple, who have been married for three years but together for nine, embraced, kissed and cried tears of joy.
The two couldn’t stop smiling as they talked about the moment.
“Opened the door to see him there, and it was like half a second of an Army uniform then ‘That’s my husband! Oh!’” Nicole said.
Will, who has been deployed in Lithuania, started planning the surprise back in September. He said everyone from his unit to hospital employees worked tirelessly to make sure it happened.
“It was definitely a surreal moment,” Will said. “That was the first time I’ve surprised her coming back, and it was definitely a lot of fun and exciting. I was so nervous that it would get spoiled because everything was going on to spoil it, but I’m glad it worked.”
Nicole said she was impressed he managed to pull off the surprise.
“I’m very type A, the planner. I like knowing what’s going on. I’m very aware, fairly aware of my surroundings, so I’m impressed. I’m impressed you pulled it off,” she said.
The couple are originally from Georgia, but Will’s military service has taken them from El Paso, Texas, to Virginia and now, Killeen, Texas, where he is a captain with the First Cavalry Division out of Fort Cavazos.
Will has been deployed once before, but it was a much different situation for Nicole, who became a traveling nurse during that time so she could live near family in Florida. This time, she stayed in Killeen because she loves her job, which made the distance a lot tougher.
“I’m just excited to not be in the house by myself,” Nicole said. “It’s just us. Our house isn’t huge, but it’s different when I’m sitting in the living room and he’s not on the other side in the office playing video games. I can’t just go over and bother him. I’ve had nobody to bother.”
Will said now that the surprise homecoming was a success, he has more to look forward to being back in Texas. One of those things is Mexican food, but the more important thing is seeing his wife every day.
“I’m excited just to be with you in the house and come home to you every day,” Will told Nicole. “Just having you and be able to do things with you again, travel with you again.”
Copyright 2025 KWTX via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
