National Guard Sgt. surprises bride-to-be at Fargo airport

Not only do the two live on opposite ends of the country, they've also been separated for a year while Simmons was on a tour of duty in Kosovo. Does she say yes?

Sgt. Tony Simmons' heart is beating a little faster tonight.

“No, I'm just too nervous to sit.”

He's pacing the waiting lobby in Hector International, waiting for his girlfriend Stephanie to fly in so he can ask her to be his wife.

“Just feels so right, right now. I don't know, I'm really excited for it.”

Tony and Stephanie met a little more than a year ago, playing the online game World of Warcraft. Their long-distance relationship blossomed and when Tony was sent off to Kosovo for a year, Stephanie stuck by his side.

They were able to keep in touch by phone and talking via Skype. That's when Tony says he knew Stephanie was it for him.

“Will you marry me?”

“To be faithful and devote yourself to somebody for that long without being able to see them, touch them, give hugs and whatever else. It just means a lot.”

Even though Stephanie and Tony had already talked about marriage, she says this whole stunt was a complete surprise and as for her new ring, the bride-to-be is all smiles.

“And we didn't look at all together, so that's not too bad.”

Stephanie says it wasn't easy being away from Tony for nearly the entire length of their relationship.

“It would have been a lot harder if I didn't get to talk to him very often.”

Now they can make up for lost time and look forward to the future. The couple will stay in the area for a long visit, and then move to Virginia where they'll work on their college degrees.

Tags: reporter stories, christina vaughn, fargo, simmons, military, family, springfiel, proposal