Watch this 10-year-old react to his Army brother's secret surprise after 300 days apart
With tears welling up in his eyes, 18-year-old Private First Class, James Ellinor, was anxiously waiting behind the stage curtain in the cafeteria at Spruce Creek Elementary in Port Orange, Florida. On the other side of the curtain was his unsuspecting 10-year-old brother Evan who was being interviewed in front of his class on what he wanted for Christmas.
Evan's wish was the same one that topped his Christmas list to Santa; he wanted his brother J.J. (Evan's nickname for James) to come home. He had no idea that his dream was about to come true.
Watch the video to see a soldier deliver the sweetest surprise to his brother.
Although they are nine years apart, the two brothers are as close as siblings can get.
"Everything is, you know, my brother's in the Army. My brother this, my brother that, JJ this, JJ that," said Candace Saboda-Ellinor, the boys' mother. "I was concerned with them being so far apart in age, while they're not going to be close, but to see how much JJ has changed and the advice he gives him. He's a big brother, he's a friend, but he's Evan's hero."
JJ had left home five months earlier for training at Fort Benning, a United States Army post in Georgia. During the training, he was rarely allowed to use the phone and could only call home a handful of times. The separation had been difficult for Evan, who had been counting the days until he could see his brother again.
James recalled that his brother used to love watching military homecoming videos, so when he had the opportunity to plan his own surprise homecoming, he jumped at it, calling his mother to coordinate the surprise with the school.
The hardest part was the deception as James had to call Evan, pretending he could not come home as planned. "It was so hard to talk to him on the phone after I told him that," said James.
But, of course, James was coming home. And now the stage was set, complete with flickering lights and confetti. All that remained was to open the curtains.
"They pull back the curtain and pop the confetti cannons. I was already crying and emotional, and then see him clear two lunch tables and jump up on the stage. [It] was absolutely amazing," James recalls.
"It was the best Christmas present ever, and I don't think anything will ever be able to top that," added Candace.
The family cherishes each moment they have together with James as they embrace the prideful turmoil attached to his military career and upcoming deployment. Although it's not easy being apart from his mom and little brother, James knows the lasting impact it has on himself and Evan.
"Me coming into the Army, trying to better myself for him to kind of show him the right way is, is kind of my motivation that kind of gets me out of bed every morning."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 10-year-old hurdles tables to his personal hero home for Christmas
