Indians help reunite military family

After competing in a between-inning contest at a Minor League Baseball game, most fans leave the field with little more than a new t-shirt. At Monday evening's Spokane Indians game, however, the prize was infinitely more meaningful.

• M-Braves reunite spouses with first pitch »

Abby Weichman and her 4-year-old twins, Gracie and Ruby, participated in the Indians' nightly "Spokane Review Newspaper Toss" contest in the middle of the fourth inning, throwing rolled-up newspapers into bins placed on the field. Upon the contest's conclusion, the P.A. announcer made a wholly unexpected announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention to the home dugout. He just got back from Afghanistan -- please welcome Sergeant Weichman!"

Daddy was home.

"It took [the family] a moment to realize what was happening, but as soon as they did, they raced right across the field and into his arms," said Indians senior vice president Otto Klein, who helped orchestrate the reunion. "The entire stadium gave them a standing ovation, and both teams came out of the dugout and started clapping.

"The game was stopped for four or five minutes as everyone let the moment sink in," Klein added. "It was truly special, just unbelievable."

The homecoming came about due to the Indians' long-running association with nearby Fairchild Air Force Base.

"One of my contacts [at Fairchild] reached out and said, 'We have an airman returning home, he's a big fan of the team, and he wants to do something special to surprise his family,'" said Klein. "I was put in touch with Sergeant [Chris] Weichman, and he and I talked via email for a couple of days. He wanted us to get his wife on the field to be part of a promotion, and he would be the surprise."

And indeed he was, with the family reunion the climax of a whirlwind couple of days -- Abby had been worried that her husband may have been involved in the helicopter crash that killed over 30 U.S. and Afghanistan troops last week. Weichmann's flight from Afghanistan arrived at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico (where he is stationed), and he then made the long 25-hour drive to Spokane's Avista Stadium.

"I was there, listening to the game in my truck," Weichman told MLB.com. "I could see through the fence and see my wife and kids walk off to sign up for the competition. I sat there and waited for Otto to come out. Then I dashed off into the dugout and stood by while they were playing the game on the field."

"We knew his family was sitting on one side of the stadium, so I had him meet me outside the ballpark by the trash dumpsters, and we snuck him in from there," said Klein. "He was in full fatigues and had a big bouquet of roses."

From there, Weichmann, a member of the 27th Special Operations Support Squadron, was escorted into the home dugout in preparation for his triumphant surprise emergence onto the playing field.

"As soon as I got out there on the field, as soon as they recognized me and started running, I just sat down, like come and get me," Weichmann said of seeing his twin daughters. "I was extremely excited to see them."

For those who were in attendance, it was a moment that will never be forgotten.

"There aren't many times when you can say that everyone in the ballpark had tears in their eyes, but in this case, everyone really did," said Klein. "This was not something that was done for publicity; it was just the right thing to do. We felt privileged that he chose to share this moment with us.

"Time stopped," Klein told MLB.com. "The pitcher stopped. The catcher stopped. Both teams came out and gave standing ovations, not a dry eye. His two twin daughters ran across the field, one of them completely bursting into full tears, running into his arms. It was an unbelievable moment. We had not intended it to be a PR move. You know how you do wedding proposals. Kind of fun stuff. This was one thing that just felt like the right thing to do. He's an Indians fan."

Back home with the M-Braves: Spokane wasn't the only team to bring loved ones together. On Aug. 5, the Mississippi Braves did something similar but with a twist.

Before the M-Braves faced the Carolina Mudcats, Darla Harlow, wife of veteran Michael Harlow, was selected to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Mrs. Harlow was unaware that her husband, who has been in Afghanistan since Dec. 5, 2010, was on the receiving end of her toss.

Darla thought she had been randomly selected as the night's ceremonial first pitch-thrower and became astonished and dazed when she realized it was her husband catching.

Darla remarked later, "I couldn't even think. I had no clue what was happening, because I was still shocked to be selected to throw the game's first pitch."

Michael added, "I couldn't make it home to my daughter Molly Carol's high school graduation. She told me that she kept expecting me to jump out of a helicopter and surprise her. Since I couldn't do that, I felt this was the opportunity to surprise my wife and loving family."

• Watch the emotional reunion »

After an eight-month tour in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Michael is thankful to be home and appreciative of the M-Braves' efforts in making his return even more memorable.

"This has been an awesome experience," he said. "I can't thank the Braves enough for their support of me and of all veterans. This is something we will never forget."