Posted on 03/19/2008 12:13:49 PM PDT by Cagey
SANFORD, Mich. -- At her seventh birthday party, Amber Birdsall thought the huge gift box wrapped in pink paper likely hid a pair of bicycles.
She was wrong. Inside was something she wanted even more -- her stepfather, a soldier who had been deployed overseas.
"This is way better than bikes," Amber said.
The surprise began a few weeks ago when Amber told her inquiring mother that all she wanted for her birthday was to have her stepfather return home from serving 10 months in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Her mother, Trisha Johnson, 34, relayed Amber's wish to her 39-year-old husband the same day that the girl expressed it. Army Spc. Glenn Johnson immediately started on the paperwork, not expecting his request for a leave to be granted because he is scheduled to come home for good in June.
Much to their surprise, his request for more than a week of leave was granted.
The soldier's flight arrived in Flint, Mich., early Sunday afternoon and he was whisked away to Northern Lanes Recreation, a bowling alley in Sanford where his stepdaughter's birthday party was taking place.
Northern Lanes employees were in on the ruse and kept him hidden in the bar.
When Amber and her 9-year-old sister, Kathy Birdsall, opened a colorfully wrapped refrigerator box, Glenn Johnson was inside.
In addition to spending a lot of time at home with his family, Glenn Johnson and his wife planned a late celebration of their five-year wedding anniversary, which was on Valentine's Day.
"I told her she needs to get a baby sitter and a new outfit," he said. "I'll take care of the rest."
LOL Same here.
There are so many. I'm fortunate to know a lot of them personally.
Like the female Army Major here who has four little girls at home with her husband. She got her leave right at Christmas. She didn't tell her girls...she surprised them on Christmas Eve.
And the Lt. Col. I work with who went home on his leave and surprised his teenage daughter at her track meet. He and his wife had kept it secret that he was coming home.
I could go on and on and I get choked up every time one of them tells me one of these stories.
Ping.:)
Very nice story, thanks for posting it.
This one from last year still tears me up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kerMm0HG1mk
A friend of mine has a great story. The crux of it was that he got to come home a couple weeks early and got to surprise his little girls when they came home from school. He tried to surprise his wife but she noticed he used a credit card the day before he arrived home and realized he was in the States.
If there were ever a country ripe for nation-building with a virtual army of repatriates, skilled, wealthy and rarin’ to go, Cuba is it.
That did something to me. That little boy understands all too well already what it means to be a man. So sad.
Great, now I feel like a fag, because I watched that and I totally teared up. I was far too young to remember my father returning from Vietnam, but I hope I reacted like this little boy did.
Recently I had the great honor of watching my brother return home from Iraq . . . and seeing his wife & daughters run out on the tarmac to join him at his F/A-18 was, as the commercial says, priceless.
Thanks for posting the link to this vid. Go Navy.
Thanks! I remember that one well, it’s very touching.
Awwwwwww. How sweet.
No, you weren’t...It reminded me of a story (allegedly a true one) I read , possibly on FR, in which a man tried to surprise his GF by “mailing” himself to her on Valentine’s day. Unfortunately, he neglected to secure an air supply...yep, he was dead when she opened the package. :-( I was afraid some young soldier had tried something similar-very relieved to learn otherwise.
This story brings me to tears and I love hearing them too, thank you for sharing!
God bless Mr Johnson and his family!
He tried to surprise his wife but she noticed he used a credit card the day before he arrived home and realized he was in the States.
Just can't fool Mom...LOL
What’s this salty discharge coming from my eyes?
Hot Dang, now there’s a MAN!! OOOh, and a good daddy too... congratulations to this little girl’s mother on finding such a wonderful man for her family. Welcome home, Soldier!
%%%
I second that!!
Nice story.
LOL... with so many weird stories we read recently, I must say I was also thinking, "oh no... another one!" Glad this one is not.
Everytime I see that sweet little boy’s face crumble when he sees his dad, I blubber like an idiot. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
You didn’t tear up, you had a lump in your throat and it got in your eye. Happens to me all the time.
Maybe that should become a FReeper expression.
The pictures speak a thousand words.
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