Salem soldier returns home to surprise wife on anniversary

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A soldier gave his wife, an emergency room nurse at Salem Hospital, quite the anniversary gift.

The Statesman Journal reports Sgt. 1st Class Jason Johnson returned early from his overseas deployment to surprise his wife, Sandi, inside the emergency department inside the hospital.

The heartwarming homecoming was captured on video by Dan Johnson, Jason’s brother, and posted last week on Salem Health’s Facebook page.

The surprise happened on Jan. 7, the date of the couple’s one-year wedding anniversary.

Johnson was deployed to the Middle East with Golf Company, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment, the medevac helicopter unit based in Salem.

Johnson is a flight medic and platoon sergeant for the unit, which conducts medical evacuations, search and rescues, and wildland fire suppression operations using HH-60M Blackhawk helicopters.