Although being a soldier is an honorable profession, it can be hard for everyone— not just the person who enlists. Parents who have young men going to fight overseas are filled with worries and anxiety, constantly wondering if their child is okay and whether they will return. Parents feel distressed when their child is distressed. It’s well documented and there is no way around it.
Most recently, Shahar Bitton and colleagues examined distress levels among parents of active duty soldiers during wartime. The study, published in the journal Frontiers of Psychology, measured 69 parents of soldiers for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and distress.
Unsurprisingly, the parents’ levels of anxiety, depression, and PTSD were much higher than in the general population. In fact, as Bitton explained, “General distress rates of parents [of soldiers] were similar to those presented by adults in southern Israel who were exposed for 7 years to the ongoing threat of daily rocket fire from Gaza.”
Denise Sterns, a mother from Phoenix, Arizona, had been feeling these types of emotions while her son Larry had been serving in the military.
The 26-year-old had left in January and been gone for approximately five months. Although his mother was proud of him for serving in the 101st Airborne Division of the army, she missed him dearly and couldn’t wait for him to return.
“I live at home with my Dad,” she told ABC News (obtained via Daily Mail UK).
“And it was just my dad, Larry and I, and when [Larry] left it was just so hard.”
Larry had been gone for a long time but would be coming to visit in July. Denise only had to wait one month and soon she would be able to see him.
Little did she know, however, that Larry had a surprise up his sleeve. Although Larry had told his mother he would be visiting in July, he actually got time off earlier and decided to plan a little surprise.
Recruiting his grandfather Terry and his uncle Hugh, Larry planned to surprise Denise at the Phoenix Central Station. Denise works as a custodian there and it seemed like the perfect spot. On the big day, Larry even recruited a police officer who would lead Denise in their direction, explaining there was a mess that needed to be cleaned up.
In the video, which has been viewed nearly 4 million times, you see Larry sitting at the station plaza in his uniform and casually reading a newspaper.
He waits for about a minute with nobody heading his way. In a comment, he later explained, “She [Denise] went the wrong way at first, that’s why it took so long lol”.
At roughly 1:30, you see Denise and the police officer enter the frame.
At first, Denise nearly walks right past her son— but then, after a double (and even triple) take, her reaction is absolutely priceless.
Denise is overcome with emotion upon seeing her son.
“What are you doing here?” she screams before leaping into his arms and wrapping him into a hug.
“I saw the Airborne patch and thought maybe I should say something, to thank him for his service,” Denise later told ABC News.
“Then I saw him starting to laugh, in his profile, and realized it was Larry.”
“It was an emotional moment for all of us. Even the police officer got choked up,” uncle Hugh Sterns shared.
See her reaction below!
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