Returning home after military service can be an incredibly emotional experience. Not only is this due to how long a person has been away from their family, but also because adjusting to civilian life can be daunting after such a structured and regimented routine. A grandson in California recently returned home after a stint in the military, but to make things even more of a surprise, he opted to return home disguised as an Amazon delivery driver. Of course, his grandparents were totally unaware, and the ensuing footage has gone viral for being equally heartwarming as it is wholesome.
The two-minute clip is recorded by one of the family members inside the soldier’s California home, and is accompanied by the caption, “Pov: your brother comes back from military after being away for 2 years disguised as an Amazon guy to surprise our grandparents“. The grandad is at the door picking up a package from the “Amazon delivery guy” who is sporting a black cap and a black face mask in an attempt to hide his identity. The grandson asks the grandma to sign for the package, which she does so on the clipboard he’s holding. Unbeknownst to her, this delivery guy is actually her grandson.
Amusingly, the Amazon guy asks a peculiar request, “Can I use your restroom to take a dump?” This sparks an eruption of laughter from the family who are watching on in delight. I imagine a few are in on the joke, though they don’t spoil the surprise prank. In a heartwarming twist, the grandma is not phased by the man’s odd request and replies, “Do you mean it? Okay. But then can you take your shoes off?”
Almost as if everything is normal, the grandma declares, “What a funny thing. Go back over there, okay?” pointing the way to the restroom. “Thank you,” the Amazon delivery guy responds, before placing his clipboard down on the table in the living room. The grandma does start to make a connection, as she does say, “He look like Anthony.” who is her grandson who she still believes is in England serving his military service.
Once the soldier returns from the bathroom, he exclaims, “Have a good one.” and the grandma says, “Any time.” with a big smile on her face. She explains to the Amazon deliver driver, “This is all my grandkids visiting me.” and one of the family members offers the guy some chicken soup. “Sure,” replies the secret homecoming military man. The grandma states, “Oh my god, you really sure? Okay.” and springs into action to prepare the snack for him.
She quickly returns with a bowl of soup in a plastic Tupperware container, along with a small plastic bag of utensils to eat it with, saying, “You can keep it.” Surprisingly, the man asks, “Can I eat it in here?” The grandma is a bit taken aback by this request, and her face reflects her surprise, but she goes along with it, and responds, “You wanna sit in there?” gesturing towards the dinner table near the back of the room.
It’s at this point where the Amazon delivery guy takes his cap and mask off, revealing his true identity. The grandma’s face is a sight to behold as she falls to the ground in sheer shock and with tears of joy in her eyes. In a funny twist, the granddad doesn’t seem that surprised by his grandson’s antics. The grandma and grandson embrace each other a couple of times in a hugely emotional moment ending the wholesome footage.
Due to the emotional gravity of the clip, social media users were left teary-eyed at the heartwarming video. One Redditor wrote, “Iโm both laughing and crying at the same time.” while another replied to this comment with, “Same. This was so beautiful. That grandma is pure love.” Over on TikTok, one user joked, “Grandma has the survival instincts of a teddy bear ๐” while another summed up the video with, “the way she was so kind when she didn’t know it was him … so heartwarming. what a beautiful person.”