“I think that if we ever have the opportunity to give back to our troops I think we all should because we live and enjoy the life we have because of them, so there is one more thing I wanted to do before I left tonight, Jimmy.”
And with that, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson got up from his comfy chair on the set of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and went on the prowl for his target: one of the show’s producers, a United States Army veteran Karina Kabalan who was in the midst of living apart from her husband Todd, a U.S. Air Force master sergeant deployed overseas, some 5,000 miles away.
Eventually, he found her, to her surprise, and instructed her to do something which — safe to say — she will remember fondly for the rest of her life.
“What is happening right now?” she said.
“I hear you’re a producer on the show and an Army vet,” said Johnson.
“I personally heard that you are the most amazing person,” Johnson added. “And we wanted to bring your husband home for the holidays.
“Turn around and hug your husband.”
She did, and afterward, the four of them — not one with a dry eye — all embraced for a group hug.
The joyful buzz of the homecoming soon spread to social media, with some of the participants tweeting about how they pulled off the big surprise.
This was the cover of the script we used to keep the surprise away from Karina… Great job by our staff to keep it secret. #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/OgEQUMsXov
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) December 10, 2016
Even Karina herself chimed in.
Wow! @ToddKabalan & I are still in shock! Feeling so blessed. I love my #fallonfam! Thank you @FallonTonight @jimmyfallon and @TheRock https://t.co/zy4aYG5xsE
— Karina Kabalan (@KarinaMasFina) December 10, 2016
So did Johnson.
@ToddKabalan @FallonTonight Oh we did! We are @MEATBALLERS! Thank you again! Wow! We are just on cloud 9! Thank U! pic.twitter.com/AhtaDqModu
— Karina Kabalan (@KarinaMasFina) December 10, 2016
The Rock was on the late night circuit to promote the premiere of his new television show called “Rock the Troops“, which airs Tuesday night, December 13, at 9 p.m. EST.
The star-packed program featuring actors, comedians and musicians entertaining America’s service members overseas is brought in part by Under Armour — a brand that’s been dedicated to supporting the military community since its inception.
That cool red, white and blue shirt The Rock is wearing? You can get that here and for a lot less than anyone else through Under Armour’s military discount of 10% off.