Soldier spends 11 hours in plane, almost a day in a car, to surprise little sister for holidays

Dec 25, 2016

Everybody likes holiday surprises, but one soldier went above and beyond to make it home and surprise her sister for Christmas.

Sgt. Danielle Hammonds was so determined get home to Lumberton, North Carolina, she spent 11 hours on a plane and followed it up with another 17 plus hours in a car to get home.

“I managed to get a couple hours of sleep. My motivation on the road was seeing my little sister. If I’m having a bad day, I just think about her and everything is going to be OK,” Hammonds told ABC11.

Her 12-year-old sister, Carly, thought that day was any other school day. Then, at lunch, she was eating with her friends when Danielle walked into the cafeteria. Carly rushed to her for a hug.

Sgt. Hammonds doesn’t get to spend Christmas with her family often. She is an information technology specialist and has been stationed overseas for most of Carly’s life.

This year, however, she was determined to make it home to spend the holiday with her family. Carly calls this, “The Best Christmas Ever.”

“I was happy,” Carly said between sobs.

According to their mother, her daughters are inseparable. Danielle was always an athlete, and that inspired Carly to fall in love with basketball.

They left the school together hand in hand to head off to surprise their father.

“I saw this on TV the other night, a soldier surprised him at a (Notre Dame) basketball game. I thought to myself that what if Danielle did that,” said their dad laughing.