‘So happy they are here’: Marines return, surprise sister before her graduation

Victoria Goodlow got the best graduation gift a sister could ask for. Her brothers
By Ava Rash
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MCKEESPORT, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — The McKeesport Area High School Class of 2025 had graduation practice Tuesday, and one senior got a special surprise from loved ones who have been overseas for two years.
Victoria Goodlow got the best graduation gift a sister could ask for. Her brothers, Sgt. Raven Goodlow and Cpl. Jesse Goodlow, made the trek from Okinawa, Japan, to surprise their little sister just two days before graduation.
“They really can’t come that often to things, so it means a lot for them to be here,” Victoria Goodlow said.
It had been roughly two years since the Marines had been home to see their family, so the reunion was an emotional one, to say the least.
“For me, just looking at her, seeing she’s the last one out of all of us, it was really nice to get to see that. It will be even better Thursday when she actually gets to graduate,” Raven Goodlow said.
“I had to submit leave. I had to wait months and months for it to actually get approved. As soon as it was approved, I was ecstatic,” Jesse Goodlow said.
The men hid out for the past few days, trying not to spoil the surprise. It was a difficult task, especially for their mom, Psalmist Wilhemina Goodlow.
“When I finally heard that they were coming in, I had to keep my mouth closed and that was difficult. But I’m just super excited because she’s the last of the seven. And my husband passed when she was only 2, and he was a Marine as well. So to see her brothers, she’s always wanted this moment,” she said.
Now, with graduation around the corner, Victoria has some extra time to spend with her best friends.
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