Jackson man surprises family on day of return from Army deployment

Becca Sides hates surprises, but last month, she got one she said she will always cherish.

Sides' husband, Brandon is a sergeant in the Army. He served 11 months in Kuwait, and decided to surprise her the day he came home April 23.

Becca knew Brandon was supposed to return home to Jackson soon, but she had no idea it would be on the day a few of her close friends piled her into a car and took her to The Water's Edge in Cape Girardeau, where he waited for her. The Sideses married at The Water's Edge nearly six years ago.

"It was so amazing," Becca said. "I felt the same nervous excitement as I did on my wedding day."

The Sideses' friend Honor Warren, a photographer, had Becca face away from a pavilion Brandon was waiting under. When she heard the thump of Brandon's boots on the deck, she said she gasped and put her hands over her mouth.

Brandon and Becca Sides pose for a photo with their sons Elias, front, and Ezra at East Elementary School in Jackson.Courtesy of Honor Warren

Brandon sneaked behind Becca and put his arms around her. He said he instantly felt relief.

"It took all the stress I'd gone through in the last year and just washed it all away," Brandon said. "To finally put my arms around her again and to see her smile ... it made everything worth it."

The Sideses have three children: Ezra, 5, Elias, 4, and Charlotte, 1.

Brandon surprised Ezra at school after he reunited with Becca at The Water's Edge.

Ezra attends preschool at East Elementary School in Jackson, where Becca teaches music. She convinced a teacher to have Ezra's class play a game where the leader is blindfolded and must guess whose voice is whose.

Brandon Sides hugs his son Elias, 4, in East Elementary School's office. "He beamed from ear to ear," Becca Sides said. "He was so excited to see his dad."Courtesy of Honor Warren

While Ezra was blindfolded, Brandon said, "Hi, son. I love you. I'm so proud of you."

"I think Ezra thought it was a recording or something," Becca said. "He pulled his blindfold down and immediately melted into my husband's arms. It was so sweet."

Charlotte was just 9 months old when Brandon left for training last year before deploying to Kuwait. On Brandon's first night back home, Charlotte fell asleep on the family's recliner as he sang to her.

For most of her life, "daddy" was just a face on the other side of a screen. He'd never seen her walk or crawl in person.

"Whenever you miss out on stuff like that, you feel like you're literally missing a part of yourself," Brandon said. "Now, I feel full."

Brandon Sides hugs his son Elias, 4, after surprising him at school.Courtesy of Honor Warren