A Soldier’s Surprise Family Reunion

What started as a school assembly ended up being a surprise family reunion.

Sgt. 1st Class Ed Rosado deployed to Kuwait in March. His sons thought he’d be returning home the day before Thanksgiving, but the homecoming came a week in advance.

The U.S. Army soldier has one son at Imogene Gideon Elementary School and another at Timberview High School. School administrators helped the family come up with a way to surprise the boys at one location.

“We had an assembly, and I invited Timberview High School’s JROTC cadets over to present the colors,” said Shanee Charles, principal of Gideon Elementary. “We invite Timberview students over here all the time for different events, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary.”

The assembly featured people in or wanting to be in the military, and the students had the opportunity to ask questions.

The Rosado family is grateful to be together for the holidays.

Toward the end of the event, a video played of Rosado sending greetings from overseas. To the crowd’s surprise, he was standing right there in the back of the cafeteria.

“As soon as I saw his face, I knew it was unbelievable. I was excited,” said Janmanuel Rosado, fourth-grader at Gideon Elementary. “It was like the best day of my life.”

“I tried to hold back the tears, but I couldn’t help it,” said Timberview senior Jose Rosado, who was recently accepted into the U.S. Air Force. “Without my dad, I wouldn’t be here.”

Many in the crowd were in tears to see the family’s reunion. The father said he is grateful to the Mansfield ISD teachers who look out for his sons while he’s away and for everyone coming together to make the assembly happen.

“Being able to surprise my kids is amazing,” the 19-year serviceman explained. “It’s indescribable.”

Rosado said it’s always a wonderful feeling to be able to return to his wife and children so that he can be a part of the daily routines once again.

A Soldier’s Surprise Return to His Mom

For a pre-kindergarten teacher at Alice Ponder Elementary School, her day of usual lessons and activities turned into the best surprise she could have asked for. Lynne Sluder had no idea that her son, who had been deployed overseas for months, would come home and surprise her in her classroom.

“I was gone for about seven months,” said Owen Thompson, a U.S. Marine and Mansfield High School graduate. “I was part of what’s called a Marine Expeditionary Unit. I went to Hong Kong and a few of the Middle Eastern countries. I know it’s not the easiest thing for a mom.”

Sluder (left) said she hasn't seen her son in almost two years,
and they only talked on the phone a few times.

Thompson, his wife and his two children walked into Sluder’s classroom for the big reveal. When Sluder turned around to see who was at the door, all she could do was scream with excitement.

“I saw him once in the last almost two years,” said Sluder as she fought to hold back tears. “[Surprising me] was such an incredible and thoughtful thing for him to do.”

Sluder added that she is proud of her son for the decision he made to serve our country, and she is actually welcoming back two heroes.

“[Owen’s wife Rashell] has blessed Owen’s life, and that’s all a mother-in-law could ever ask for. I’m proud of both of them because military life is hard for families."

The teacher said she can’t wait to catch up with her son and daughter-in-law and spend time with her grandchildren.