The men and women that serve our country make the ultimate sacrifice. This includes spending a ton of time away from friends and family, which can be difficult for everyone involved. One Navy officer was reunited with his girlfriend on *The Ellen DeGeneres Show,* but Ellen had a few more tricks up her sleeve. This story is all about true love — no matter the distance!
The United States military is filled with brave, honorable men and women looking to go the extra mile for their country. With twelve branches of the armed services and over one million military members, the U.S. military is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Our country’s military strength is evident, but there is a lot that these men and women have to endure to ensure our safety — and this can be extremely traumatizing.
Military members on active duty do not take any breaks. They are on the clock all day, every day — until they are done serving in the military. Although active-duty members are always on call, they do have a set time they can spend with their loved ones or just to do simple things they enjoy. Those who are active combat do not have these everyday luxuries, and the next slide proves they can go without seeing their loved ones for almost unbearable amounts of time.
Many military members have to be away from their home and loved ones — sometimes for years at a time. Out of the total 1.3 million active-duty service members in 2016, around 15% were deployed somewhere overseas. This equates to around 193,442 individuals who had to pack up and ship out, while their loved ones awaited the day they would arrive home.These reunions are always an extremely emotional event — the next photo will tug at your heartstrings.
No emotions can describe waiting for your loved one to come home from deployment. Whether it be after a few months or an entire year — a military service member coming home safe and sound is a major celebratory event for everyone. Some come home to a loving spouse and others get to meet their bundles of joy for the first time — you never quite know what you are going to come home to. Even more emotional? When military homecomings are a complete surprise.
From sports events to weddings, surprise military homecomings have become a heartfelt Internet sensation. There have been countless military homecomings that have gone viral online in the past couple of years, and some talk shows have even gotten involved with these touching family reunions. One extremely popular talk show host has recently brought a Navy Officer and his long-term girlfriend back together, and this host has a long history of making magic happen on-screen.
*The Ellen DeGeneres Show* has been delighting audiences since 2003, and this show wouldn’t have reached massive success if it wasn’t for the vibrant host. Ellen’s witty humor and quick wit delight the audience and various celebrity and everyday guests she invites to the show. Even more astounding is her ability to give back to the community, in the most heartwarming ways. Ellen definitely has a heart of gold — and she isn’t afraid to show it.
Although Ellen has welcomed famous names such as Michelle Obama and Taylor Swift to her stage, this talk show host is also known to invite everyday people who are making a difference. Ellen is a frontrunner of the LGBT community, and she always gives a voice to those who would otherwise be silenced. Ellen is always open to a shocking surprise when it comes to her guests, and some of her most memorable moments would warm even the most coldhearted individual.
Ellen DeGeneres is extremely down-to-earth, and her charitable nature shines through on her show. She has presented needy families and hardworking teachers with thousands of dollars on stage — and she always does it straight from her heart. One of her most recent guests didn’t see her surprise coming from a mile away. You won’t believe how this woman’s appearance on the show plays out — this young woman got completely ambushed.
Maura Gonsalves — a 25-year-old woman living in San Diego, California — recently got to attend a taping of Ellen. Although this may not seem like a huge deal, Gonsalves is a superfan of the talk show, so she was more than ecstatic to be sitting in the audience. Little did she know, she would not just be another face in the crowd. Nothing could prepare her for this spectacle, and she was about to be put on the spot.
Gonsalves has been dating a Navy officer named Noah Copeland, and the two relocated to San Diego from Massachusetts, in July of 2016. Five months after settling in San Diego, Copeland was deployed and sent to the military island of Diego Garcia. Copeland has been deployed almost a year when he decided to reach out to Ellen, and the results were beyond successful. Ellen was more than happy to bring his dream to life — and that of his girlfriend.
This Navy Officer decided to do something sweet for his girlfriend while he was away. Copeland wrote the television host a letter in celebration of her upcoming 60th birthday, with a special request in mind. Ellen began to read the letter, and Gonsalves started to get emotional in the audience. His words were so heartfelt and sincere — they had Gonsalves in tears as soon as she realized her Navy boyfriend was responsible for the touching letter.
Copeland explained that Gonsalves is Ellen’s biggest fan, and she even FaceTimes Copeland when she is watching the show so he won’t miss out. The Navy Officer also suggested that Gonsalves being present at her birthday show would mean the entire world. “I know nothing would make her happier than getting to celebrate your birthday with you at your show. Thanks for keeping my girl company while I’m away,” Copeland wrote to Ellen. The end of the letter explained some sad news, and Gonsalves was quick to relay her disappointment.
Copeland’s letter also revealed that he had been scheduled to return to San Diego in late January, but his return kept getting delayed. The recent government shutdown also slowed down the process. Once finished with reading Copeland’s letter, Ellen invited an emotional yet ecstatic Gonsalves onstage. The 25-year-old was quick to reveal her boyfriend’s deployment was sudden and unexpected, making it all the more difficult. These two literally had no time to say goodbye.
“He went into work on a Friday and then he came home from work that Friday and they were like, ‘You’re going on Sunday’ so he had two days to pack up his whole life and just leave for a year. He’s been gone for over a year right now,” Gonsalves stated. Despite her sadness over Copeland’s sudden absence, Gonsalves quickly told Ellen how meaningful her show is in her life. This young woman couldn’t wait to compliment her favorite talk show star.
“I can’t even believe this is happening right now,” Gonsalves giggled as she sat onstage. Ellen was obviously flattered and touched by Gonsalves’s story, and she had a huge surprise in store. Ellen revealed that she wanted to give Gonsalves tickets to her birthday show, but when she asked for the tickets to be brought onstage the audience simply exploded. This is a present Gonsalves will never be able to forget — and her love for Ellen just grew tenfold!
To everyone’s shock, Copeland then walked onstage with tickets to Ellen’s birthday show and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. Gonsalves immediately ran towards her uniformed boyfriend and jumped into his arms — and the audience could not hold back their excitement. Not only did Gonsalves receive VIP tickets to Ellen’s 60th birthday show, but she got the most adorable reunion with her boyfriend. Copeland’s inspiration to write into the show is just as sweet as the entire episode.
“I just wanted to do something special for her,” Copeland admitted about the entire setup. The couple told Ellen they had planned a trip to Puerto Rico when Copeland was back in the U.S., but the recent hurricane persuaded them to instead make a difference. They donated their trip money to Ricky Martin’s relief fund — with proceeds going to those affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Ellen was extremely moved by the couple’s generosity, and she decided to present them with a phenomenal gift.
Ellen revealed that she was awarding Gonsalves a six-night stay at a fabulous resort in Koloa, Hawaii. She couldn’t give Copeland any gifts due to him being in the military, but she slyly stated that Gonsalves could bring her boyfriend along for the getaway if she wanted. All jokes aside, this couple couldn’t be happier about being reunited. Gonsalves recalled the epic homecoming, and she has no shortage of appreciation for the television host’s amazing surprise.
“I will remember it for the rest of my life! I’m so happy to have my boyfriend home and I am just so grateful for everyone that surprised me and made it such an amazing special moment,” Gonsalves stated. This happy couple couldn’t be more excited to make up for lost time, and they have an Ellen Show memory that is absolutely priceless. The next slide shows that true love is timeless — especially when it comes to these two.
“It was just an all-around amazing experience,” Gonsalves admitted, looking back at her experience on the show. Gonsalves and Copeland’s relationship will definitely go the distance — especially if it is always filled with this amount of love and spontaneity. *The Ellen DeGeneres Show* definitely knows how to bring people together — whether they know it or not — and bring a smile to viewers everywhere. Here’s to many more years of happiness to Gonsalves and Copeland, despite any deployments!