MANCHESTER, Conn. — Two siblings were surprised on Wednesday by their father who returned from a 13-month deployment in Afghanistan.
Maj. Timothy Christensen, a Travelers employee who has served as an Army Reservist in Afghanistan for over one year, was recently awarded a Bronze Star.
WFSB reports that he was introduced at the YMCA Camp Indian Valley in Manchester on Wednesday as a “new assistant,” before his son Ethan got the surprise of a lifetime at his Science Detectives Camp during the camp’s annual magic show.
“I’ve been feeling kind of sad at times, but I’m really excited,” said Ethan after his dad surprised him.
After surprising Ethan, Christensen made his way to the Hartford Stage Classical Magnet School to surprise his 11-year-old daughter, Emily.
“It couldn’t have gone better, that was great,” said Timothy’s wife, Charlene Christensen, who helped plan both surprises.
Timothy Christensen has been in the Army for almost 20 years, but said it has been rough being away from his children. This was his third and last deployment, and now he gets to enjoy the summer with his family.
“It’s a great feeling, I’m just looking forward to spending an entire summer with them. It’s an adjustment period, but I’m looking forward to it. It will be a good time,” he added.
Timothy Christensen and his wife will celebrate 16 years of marriage in just a few weeks. He said he will be back at his other job at Travelers starting in September and expects to retire from the military soon.
