The halls of High Hills Elementary School buzzed with the usual hum of a busy day, but one family was about to receive the surprise of a lifetime.
Thanks to a collaboration between the American Red Cross’s Services to the Armed Forces and United Airlines, Sergeant Jamar Rowden, a U.S. Marine stationed in South Korea, returned home to South Carolina for the holidays — completely unannounced.
For three years, Rowden’s life had been one of duty and distance, with family moments relegated to grainy phone screens. His mother, Lindsey, described their virtual interactions, saying, “I get FaceTime messages at any hour, of the morning or night because our time zones change I feel like so much, and if I don’t pick up, or if he doesn’t pick up, they get a rude text message.” That all changed when Rowden walked into his mother’s workplace, taking her and his sister, Hannah Breeden, by complete surprise.
Sgt. Rowden hugs his mom and sister. Photo courtesy of the American Red Cross
I knew nothing absolutely they kept it completely under wraps,” Lindsey said.
“This was not on my list of things happening today,” Lindsey said, recalling the moment she spotted her son. Hannah, equally shocked, admitted, “I saw her run over and I was like oh he’s here and I saw the flags and I was just like, wow they’re really patriotic about a library.”
Rowden’s father, Staff Sergeant Edward Breeden, had even more reason to celebrate: his 22-year military career was nearing its end, with retirement just weeks away. “This is about the best Christmas present that we can give our family this time of year,” he said, marveling at the rare opportunity to have everyone together under one roof.
The reunion was packed with emotional significance. Jamar’s homecoming marked the first time he had seen his sister since her high school graduation and his younger brother since middle school. “It’s tough, you get used to FaceTiming and texting a lot,” Jamar said. “It’s harder in the beginning, but you get used to it throughout the years.”
From left, Hannah, Sgt. Rowden’s sister; Sgt. Rowden; Rowden’s mom, Lindsey. Photo courtesy of the American Red Cross
Lindsey already had plans for Jamar’s visit, declaring, “Jamar likes to cook, so I really want him cooking at home.” The Marine playfully responded, “Cooking, that’s news to me. I do enjoy cooking, but I didn’t plan on cooking when I got back, but I guess I will.” Kitchen duties aside, Jamar couldn’t stop praising United Airlines and the Red Cross and United Airlines for helping get him home for the holidays. “I’m excited,” he said. “This has been a long time coming.”
“These are things you see happen on TV that you don’t expect are going to happen to you,” Lindsey said. And even more special was that this reunion was able to happen just one month before Jamar’s father retires from the Army. While he can’t make the retirement ceremony, being able to see his dad before the event was a big deal. The reunion may be brief, but what it meant to his family will last for a very longtime. “It’s not so much those events that you miss, but learning to appreciate those moments when you are together and make those special,” Edward said.
