Users on Facebook also made note of the emotions in the video and commented “There were lots of emotion [and] hugs. [It] will always be one of my most favorite memories, nothing can compare to the love of family.”
Viewers of the video could feel what the family was experiencing and understand the joy that the Richter’s must have felt to be reunited with their son. Another person wrote, “As usual, a few tears in my eyes, remembering when our family’s special Marine landed his jet. It was a heartwarming moment for all.”
Everyone Loves A Tearjerker
Shortly after posting the video, it began to accumulate almost 90,000 views. The family couldn't believe that they themselves were at the center of a viral video circulation. People started to share the video on different networking sites, and their beautiful family moment was making major rounds.
People were leaving really sweet comments discussing the love and bond between the family members and the Richters were so proud to get this kind of fame and acknowledgment for something so genuine. As of today, the video has over 2 million views.
The Comments Kept Coming
People were posting both loving comments, appreciating the Richters family connection, and also hilarious comments about the moment that Rowan popped out of the trunk. The comments continued to flow with one user sharing “[I] don’t know what I liked better, Mom’s extreme reaction or the love in Dad’s non-stop smile! It’s a tie.”
Other users acknowledged the family's excitement at being reunited with one of their long lost siblings and how you could tell how much the family loved each other deeply.
Now It's Grandma's Turn
After surprising his entire immediate family, there was another person that Rowan still had to see. Somebody else in the family who still didn't know of his presence was Rowan's grandmother. She had no idea that Erik and Rowan planned a surprise for everyone by coming home from the Navy. They decided to add in another plot twist and go surprise grandma.
They knew that she definitely would not be expecting Rowan's appearance. It would make a great addition to the already heartwarming YouTube video. So, they set off to shoot the video.
Their Grandma Doesn't Suspect Anything
First things first was to call grandmother. So, Erik picked up the phone and called her, telling her that they were coming over to visit and make sure she was home. It was known in the family that the grandmother absolutely loved Rowan. They couldn't wait to see his reaction.
After their grandmother verified that she was home and that the family should come over and see her, they were all excited about seeing her reaction to Rowan.