Firefighter gives mom the ultimate Mother's Day gift by returning home from deployment

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It was a special Mother’s Day for the mom of a soldier who returned home Sunday.

The soldier, Nick Arrigoni, surprised friends and family who did not know he was coming home until Saturday. So the homecoming came together quickly.

It was a beautiful day for his mother, but also for Arrigoni, who had not seen his friends, his family or his dog for nearly a year.

“We have the distinct honor of welcoming one of our brothers home,” said James Olson, a Cottage Grove firefighter. “This will be a really nice reunion for him.”

It was a reunion fit for a soldier and a firefighter because Arrigoni defends his city and his country.

“When you’ve got a brother that’s serving here and then goes overseas and serves that’s a big deal,” Olson added.

He left family, friends and his dog behind when he was called to serve. Now, after nearly a year with the Army National Guard, Arrigoni is finally home.

“I am speechless,” he said. “I have no words.”

He went on to say, “I don’t feel that I deserve this, but like I said, it’s not about me, it’s about we and those of us that deployed, that left our families and friends and significant others. And we’re all coming back right around the same time and reuniting and it feels really good.”

There was no better day for a soldier and a son to back in the arms of those that love him the most.

“This is the best Mother’s Day ever,” said Debbie Arrigoni, Nick’s mom. “Ever.”

“What better day to come home than Mother’s Day,” Nick added. “It’s going to be hard to top this gift next year.”

During his deployment, Nick says he worked Medivac in Kuwait, Jordan, Syria and Iraq. He will go back to firefighting in July.