Three generations of a family had nearly identical but separate responses to a sailor’s return home, screaming or shouting in shock before heading in for tear-filled hugs.
Jayden Holland, a junior sailor with the United States Navy, stunned his sister, mom and grandma when he returned home to Arlington, Texas, on May 24, having been away from home for five months.
Jayden, 21, left for boot camp on January 22, in a heart-wrenching moment for the whole family, dad Jim said, as Jayden had never been away from home for more than a few weeks before.
Leaving was toughest on his sister, Jaylee, as the pair would text numerous times a day before Jayden’s departure.
But Jayden could only call home every three to four weeks during boot camp, and calls were often short.
Jayden kept in touch by sending frequent letters, but having graduated from boot camp in April, he started to feel homesick and applied for leave that was granted in May with just 10 days’ notice.
Having set plans for a series of grand surprises in motion, Jayden, with the help of his dad, then headed to visit his mom, a librarian in an elementary school, and then his sister, a teacher in a local high school.
Walking into his old elementary school, Jayden greeted his former teachers before walking into a room where his mom, Becky, was sitting.
As soon as she saw her son, Becky let out a huge scream, before darting across the room to give her son an emotional hug while sobbing on his shoulder.
That reaction was then replicated by Jaylee, who entered a classroom to discover her brother in naval attire, before shouting in shock and running straight into his arms.
And then it was the turn of Jayden’s maternal grandmother, Karin, who he surprised at home.
Like Becky, Karin, who was seated, let out a loud scream when she realized her grandson had entered the room, before sobbing joyous tears as the 21-year-old sailor held her tight.
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Jim said: “We knew ahead of time they were going to be thrilled.
“But watching this over and over still gives me the chills and tears to see such explosive and unexpected joy we were able to deliver.
“As a parent, your child is your heart outside of your own body – and when that’s taken away, it’s excruciating.
“But the reunion is so sweet and these reactions made all the planning and trouble worth it.”