MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A mother received an early Christmas gift that brought her to tears.
Brittany Pettis shared a Facebook video of her brother, Grant Jackson, surprising their mother, Gwen Jackson, by coming home after serving nearly two years in the Air Force in Japan.
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The mom can be heard screaming and crying tears of joy as she turned around in her kitchen to see her son standing there for the first time in years.
Grant Jackson says he and his sister starting planning the surprise visit a few months ago.
“I believe my sister and I had originally started the plan in September,” said Jackson.
He says he was shocked when the video went viral, mostly because he didn’t know it would be filmed.
“Honestly, I had no clue,” said Jackson. “My sister is the one that wanted to make the video. I was hesitant about posting it due to unfortunate circumstances with my baggage that prevented me from having my military uniform.”
Jackson wants to make the most of his time while he is in town.
“I plan on spending time with my family and friends. A little R&R as well hopefully! I’ll be in the states for about three weeks,” said Jackson.
Jackson’s sister, Brittany Pettis, described the surprise as, “the best and only Christmas gift I wanted.”
“Honestly I just want to catch up on time lost. Maybe catch a Grizzlies game or go to the Liberty Bowl for the Memphis game. He’s a huge fan of both teams. We are a close family, so I just want quality time before he leaves again,” said Pettis.
The heartwarming video has already gone viral with over 9,000 shares on Facebook and more than 700,000 views.