Captain Owen Chandler was deployed to Iraq in January 2016, then spent another nine months overseas before returning home and moving to Arizona. All in all, he hadn’t seen his parents in over a year.
So for the past few weeks, Chandler and his family have been planning a special surprise.
Initially, it was supposed to be an intimate event with close family there to document Chandler’s parents’ reactions to seeing their son again.
But quickly, word got out of the reunion, and the event swelled.
“Next thing you know, it’s friends and neighbors and former church friends. I mean, it’s gotten pretty intense,” Chandler said.
He arrived early at Rookie’s Sports Bar in downtown Henderson, Indiana, and greeted his guests before preparing for the biggest surprise of all.
Chandler and his family stood right next to the wooden double doors of the room so that once his mom and dad walked in, he could pop up next to them.
The room was silent the moment his parents arrived, completely oblivious to who was standing just a few feet to their right.
It wasn’t until they were greeted and Mom turned her head that Chandler revealed himself.
And his mom’s surprised scream said it all!
They quickly embraced for a full moment, the reunion having been a complete success.
Coincidently, Chandler’s dad had been in the hospital the week before, and he hoped the surprise wouldn’t put him back in!
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