A soldier’s surprise: Utah family reunited ahead of the holidays

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) — Specialist Imani Evans (U.S. Army Reserves) was deployed to the Middle East in January. With her deployment coming to an end, she and her family weren’t sure she’d be able to come home in time for Thanksgiving because of the government shutdown.

However, when she learned that not only would she be back in time for the holiday but earlier than anyone could have expected, she and her aunt decided to keep it a secret and surprise her parents and siblings.  

“Woo!” a shout rings out inside Salt Lake City International Airport. Followed by a yell: “My favorite!” They are screams of joy. “Specialist Evans, welcome home!” The sounds of a reunion.  

“Her parents have no idea she’s home,” Gingerlyn Lindwall said while standing next to her niece, Imani Evans. It’s a secret both women kept for two weeks.

“I like getting everyone’s reaction,” Evans told ABC4. “Of course, I have a lot of emotions at the same time, but I’m just really glad none of them got spoiled.” Her aunt, Gingerlyn added: “We’ve never really been able to pull off surprises or anything so this will be exciting.”   

The two, as well as one of Evans’ uncles, left the airport. Their goal? Surprise Evans’ mother, father, and two siblings at their workplaces and schools.

The first stop was My Tax Expert Inc in Riverdale to surprise Shantell Evans. “She’ll probably be like, ‘Shut up. No way,’” SPC Evans said as she waited in a room just feet away from where her mother was working.

That prediction was fulfilled just minutes later when she walked down a flight of stairs and into her mom’s line of sight.

“Shut up! Oh!” yelled Shanell.  

The two embraced. “What are you doing? Does dad know you’re back?”  Shantell asked as the two remained locked in one another’s arms.

It was a perfect surprise ahead of the holidays. “Oh, it’s going to be great,” said Shantell. “It’s going to be so great. A lot to be grateful for, thankful for: a new place, a new home, and she’s home safe.” Shantell’s boss, Jen, helped set up the surprise, congratulated the family, and let Shantell leave with her daughter to enjoy the weekend.  

The next stop? Hill Air Force Base to see her dad. Due to the shutdown, ABC4 wasn’t allowed on the base to witness the surprise but caught up with Gerald at the family’s third location. It was there that he said: “A hole was in our heart while she was gone.” 

“I didn’t cry for the record,” Gerald stated referring to the reunion with his daughter. “I did not cry. Maybe inside a little bit inside. A couple of tears just because we missed her terribly. I am super proud of her.” 

The third stop was at an elementary school in Marriott-Slaterville to see SPC Evans’ little brother Musa.

A receptionist called the young boy’s classroom and asked his teacher to send him to the office. His sister hid in the doorway of a bathroom in the hallway just outside the office waiting for him. After a tight hug Musa looked at Shantell and asked, “Can we go home now?”

His top priority now that SPC Evans is home is to play some video games together. “Do you want to play Fortnite?” he asked looking up at his sister. She replied, “I want to play Fortnite.” He looked back down and quickly said, “Bet.”   

For SPC Evans, she planned on spending as much quality time as possible with her family during their first weekend together. “I think the most rewarding part is just now that we’re all together again,” she stated. “We still have one more sibling that we’re going to get but it’s just nice to see everybody together after so long of just individual texts or facetimes.”