A career in the military means being away from home from time to time. And when they are, many soldiers are separated from their families. This sometimes leads to painful, yet beautiful stories. Take, for example, US fighter jet pilot Lonnie Anderson, who came home to a very special surprise after his military service…
When Anderson left home in January 2017, he initially expected to be away from home for about five months. A few months later, however, it would become clear that his trip would be extended. An unexpected twist, but it was nothing compared to the shock that awaited him on his return…
Anderson, his wife Abigail and their three children were no strangers to the fighter jet pilot family life. The fighter jet pilot had been away from home for extended periods before, so when he left for Afghanistan in early 2017, the family knew what to expect.
Still, it wasn’t long before Abigail started to feel lonely. Although she was just starting to get used to her husband’s long journeys, she felt strange this time around. She even found herself behaving differently this time. It all began with small changes, but soon these became more and more difficult to hide…
Abigail’s children also began to notice these changes. Her eldest child, a 10-year-old boy, could easily keep it a secret, but whether her younger daughter could too? That was the question.
Although Abigail didn’t have much time for herself with all the work she had to do at home, she still kept in regular contact with her husband. They video called each other almost every day, but it wasn’t easy for Abigail. What if Lonnie found out that she was trying to hide something?
There were times it was especially difficult for Abigail to keep her secret. She wanted to tell Lonnie so badly. A few weeks after he left, they had a video call during which she almost gave it away. At the last minute she decided to keep it a secret.
Besides Lonnie, Abigail’s immediate family too couldn’t know about her secret. This proved to be more difficult by the day, because she had many clever relatives who could easily find out that the woman was keeping a secret.
Not only Abigail’s situation was getting more and more dangerous. Lonnie, who was in Afghanistan at the time, also got into trouble. The Afghan government was experimenting with nuclear weapons, and Lonnie was close to the test site.
Abigail lived in uncertainty about her husband’s fate. Still, she had to make ends meet with two jobs and three children to care for, she barely had time for herself.
Five months had passed, but Lonnie had not returned. In fact, his mission would be extended by a month. He called his wife from the army base to break the news. The mission, which became increasingly dangerous, would continue for at least another month…
It was a nerve-wracking time for Abigail. Every day she doubted whether or not she should reveal the secret. What if her husband died? Could she ever forgive herself?
Still, she held on, and her perseverance paid off. In June, six months after Lonnie’s departure, he set course back to his home in America.
It was June 23 when Lonnie’s family gathered in San Diego on a hot summer’s day. There, on the pier, they saw the man they had been missing all along
As fast as they could, Lonnie’ children ran towards their father. Behind them stood Abigail, holding a large sign: Welcome back, Daddy. After Lonnie had given his children a big hug, he walked over to his wife, who dropped the sign. “Are you kidding me? Seriously?” Lonnie said when he saw what appeared from behind the sign…
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Hidden behind the sign was a text written on Abigail’s shirt: “I am the present Dad left behind before he left,” it said. And under the shirt? Abigail’s big old baby belly.
Lonnie could not believe his eyes. “I looked at her and poked her stomach,” he said afterwards. “I thought she was kidding me,” he laughed.
Hidden behind the sign was a text written on Abigail’s shirt: “I am the present Dad left behind before he left,” it said. And under the shirt? Abigail’s big old baby belly.
Lonnie could not believe his eyes. “I looked at her and poked her stomach,” he said afterwards. “I thought she was kidding me,” he laughed.
Hiding the pregnancy had been a lot of work, since Abigail had been in frequent contact with Lonnie throughout her pregnancy. During conversations, she often put one of her children on her lap to hide her belly. Sometimes, she also took a picture with a beer (which she didn’t actually drink of course) so that Lonnie wouldn’t think she was pregnant.
The hardest part was convincing her children that nothing special was going on. “When my eldest daughter started noticing, I just said I was getting fat,” Abigail joked afterwards.
It wasn’t always easy to hide the pregnancy. More than once, Abigail wanted to call or email her husband to reveal the secret, but nevertheless she managed to stop herself time and again.
The choice not to reveal anything was one from the bottom of her heart. Abigail knew that if she told Lonnie, he would constantly be worrying about the things he was missing out on and not be able to focus on his mission. When he returned, she was overjoyed to finally be able to tell the secret, but that wasn’t the only surprise Lonnie awaited…
Abigail didn’t know yet whether it would be a girl or a boy. Together with Lonnie she went to the hospital for an ultrasound. It soon became clear that it was a healthy baby, but was it a boy or a girl?
In order to reveal the news to the rest of the family, they decided to invite everyone to a party. The couple had hung up balloons filled with confetti. When they popped the balloons, pieces of pink paper flew everyone. It was clear: they were expecting another daughter.
In the period between Lonnie’s return and the birth of the baby, the couple had their work cut out for them. Buying diapers, putting together a baby room, you name it. Yet they also enjoyed the time they got to spend together.
Still, there was some bad news in the air. Lonnie could be summoned to go on a mission at any time, which could mean missing the birth of his daughter. They waited anxiously for a message from the army.
Still, there was some bad news in the air. Lonnie could be summoned to go on a mission at any time, which could mean missing the birth of his daughter. They waited anxiously for a message from the army.
When the phone finally rang, Abigail held her breath. Lonnie would now finally be told when his next mission was to take place. It turned out to be a huge relief: early 2018. That meant that he could be there for the birth of his daughter, who was expected around August 2017, without any problems.
However, things didn’t quite go according to plan. Baby number four took a long time to arrive and skipped the month of August. It wasn’t until September 2, 2017 that Anara Rose was born.
In the end, both Lonnie and Abigail were happy that she’d kept her secret. It had been a roller coaster of emotions for Abigail, but now, she was happier than ever.
Afterwards, Abigail and Lonnie got the chance to tell their story on television, during a CBS broadcast. “It was a fantastic experience,” Lonnie said at the time. “Of course it would have been nice if she had told me over the phone, but the way she did all this was very special.”
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