Amy Thomman believed her family was the subject of a story involving her daughter when they posed for a photo in the gymnasium at Stephen F. Austin Middle School in Bryan, Texas.
Instead, the story had a much deeper impact for the Thommans, who saw an unexpected guest in the background of the photo taken on Thursday, Sept. 22.
U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Ross Thomman, who had been deployed in Iraq and Kuwait since January, surprised his family by photobombing the picture. It wasn’t until his wife and two children were looking at the photo in the camera that they realized he had returned.
The family quickly turned around to see their smiling husband and dad holding an “I’m Home” poster.
“It was everything I imagined it would be,” Ross Thomman told The Eagle newspaper about the surprise. “It was priceless.”
Amy Thomman, the principal of Johnson Elementary School in Bryan, thought the photo was for a story about her daughter, Samantha, being a part of the school’s volleyball team. She said she had “no words” to describe her emotions when she turned around to see her husband.
The surprise was difficult to process for Samantha, who later played her volleyball match with her father in the stands.
“It didn’t feel like he was there. I was shaking,” the daughter told KBTX.
The Army soldier said he has been in the service for 18 years. He told his family he wouldn’t be home until next week, setting things up for the heartwarming surprise, KBTX reported.
“I’ve missed so much stuff, and I’m so happy and grateful to be back and safe and ready to reacquaint with my family and get back to work, back to life,” the father told The Eagle.
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