A teen in Arizona was caught on camera having an emotional surprise reunion with her brother after he returned home from the military (video below).
Elizabeth Rader was sitting on the floor of her home watching television when her dog started barking. She then heard the door open, but thought it just was her brother John coming inside. As it turned out, John was there. He wasn’t alone, though.
“I was just taking to you,” she says while stammering.
Shane, Newsiosity reported, had been stationed in Italy for three years in the military, and hadn’t seen his siblings that entire time. When he surprised his sister, he’d been home for three days — but he wanted to plan his entrance to make it an extra-special reunion.
“What a wonderful surprise,” one Newsiosity reader commented in response on the site’s Facebook page.
“Awesome story,” another added.
In a similar incident, a New Jersey father surprised his 4-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter during an ice performance.
Jamie Curcio, a member of the Navy Reserves, was stationed in Afghanistan for a long period of time and decided to surprise his family when he finally returned home. His children were on stage as a part of “Disney on Ice Presents ‘Frozen’,” an adaptation of the popular children’s movie, when their father appeared on the ice in front of them.
“My life, for the past nine and a half months or so has really been embedded with the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police, doing training and assisting for them,” Curcio told NJ.com.
“It’s a hell of a homecoming,” he said. “I see them all the time on, you know, the internet and stuff, all the videos of homecomings, and I never thought that we would have this kind of moment to share.”
Many readers praised the event venue where the show took place for letting the soldier reunite with his children in such a special way.
“Oh that is sweet what the Prudential Center was able to do for Mr. Crucio and his family. For me it is a passion to be seeing videos and pictures of military reunions especially the ones that involves them and their family. Well, I wonder though, how many military reunion planners participated in that event,” one reader commented.
Sources: Newsiosity, Newsiosity/Facebook, NJ.com / Photo credit: Newsiosity
In a video shot by John, he walks in alongside the pair’s brother, Shane, who sneaks up on their sister and causes her to fall backwards in shock. It takes her a few seconds to realize what is happening before she jumps up and smothers him in a hug.
“Shane!” she screams through tears in the video. Completely overcome with disbelief, she lets go and looks at him in shock.
