Saginaw, MI (WNEM) — It was the surprise of a lifetime for one Mid-Michigan military family.
Laura Rumble and her three children have been waiting for her husband to return from overseas since September 2018.
The family received a happy homecoming way sooner than expected.
There are few moments that compare to the ones like when a family separated by the call of duty and is finally reunited.
For military wife Laura Rumble, it’s a moment she could never have prepared for.
“I had no idea that it was going to happen like that, I was so surprised,” Laura said.
TV5 first introduced you to Rumble earlier this week as a military wife juggling three kids, a home, and getting a college degree.
All while her husband Chris has been serving in the National Guard since last September.
Never quite knowing that he had been planning this reunion with some help from the very beginning.
“We started this back in September and there she was and then came the kids and it was just perfect,” Chris said.
“It’s been a ride, just a ride the past 48 hours,” said Melissa Alex with the Yellow Ribbon Guard, which provides assistance to deployed service members’ families.
Alex said it took an extraordinary amount of planning to make this possible since Chris only has until Feb. 18 before he has to return.
While the family may have this brief time together, this moment will last with them for a lifetime.
“I’m looking forward to the late nights and the early mornings with them because I’m sure I’ll be the one that’s getting up,” Chris said.
Chris will return to serve in Cuba later this month.