Rylan and Dad, finally reunited

PORTLAND, MICH. — A girl who recently moved to West Michigan got an incredible surprise at her new school on Thursday, March 10.

The last nine years have been full of surprises for the Johns family. Lana and her husband, Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Johns, have packed up and moved quite a few times.

While they have gotten used to all of the changes, there is no one who loves surprises more than their daughter, 7-year-old Rylan who is in second grade at Oakwood Elementary School in Portland.

Rylan thought she had a school assembly on Thursday. She had no idea her entire school was in on one of the best surprises yet — her dad’s final homecoming.

No more moves around the world. No more dad leaving for war. Ryan is out of the military and ready to be home for good.

“I woke her up when I got back from Afghanistan, I surprised her then, Florida, Korea. I surprised them when I was on my midterm leave from Iraq,” said Ryan.

“We can have more daddy and me days,” Rylan said.

Lana originally reached out to her teacher, only expecting to surprise Rylan in her classroom. It was her second grade teacher who then brought in the principal and staff and that’s when it turned into a school-wide surprise.