Navy Dad Surprises Kids In Assembly With Return From Deployment

DUBLIN, CA — The Nelson boys — Brendon, 8, Ethan, 6, and Caleb, 4 — had gone a year with only seeing dad and U.S. Navy Lt. Darren Nelson through the screen of a cell phone since he left for a deployment in Djibouti, Africa, in February 2019. Thanks to a sneaky plot organized by mom Daylene Nelson and the Dublin Unified School District, the boys had the reunion of a lifetime.

For the older Nelson boys, last Thursday was a normal school day. But hours after Mrs. Nelson dropped them off at Murray Elementary School, all three would get to see their dad for the first time in a year.

"I was definitely nervous and kind of freaking out a little bit, and trying to play it off like everything was normal," Mrs. Nelson said.

The district organized an assembly where students with parents who are firefighters, law enforcement officers, nurses, teachers or military members were called to the stage.

Students filed onstage. Mrs. Nelson held Caleb and looked on as Brendon and Ethan posed for a photo with the other kids.

"I'm wondering if it would be amazing if you were to see him right now," said Murray Elementary Principal Meghan Boriskin. "Would that be cool?"

Mr. Nelson stepped out from behind the stage curtain.

"Hi boys," he said.

The second Caleb saw his dad, Mrs. Nelson said, he started pulling her to the stage.

The boys cried and asked if he was home to visit or stay, she said.

"Oh buddy, I'm never leaving you again," Mr. Nelson said.

Seeing the boys with their father made Mrs. Nelson emotional.

"It made my heart feel whole again," she said.

Mr. and Mrs. Nelsons were high school sweethearts at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento. They broke up for a while, but got back together when he entered the military, she said.

"We saw each other on Myspace," Mrs. Nelson said, "and the rest was history, like a day hadn't passed."

The Nelsons have been married for more than 12 years.

Mr. Nelson flew in last Wednesday night, she said. Mrs. Nelson said she jumped at his phone call letting her know he was home. She felt a flood of relief to know he was back on U.S. soil.

Her husband teared up as he touched down, she said.

Mrs. Nelson solicited help from her mom to babysit as she snuck out of the house to pick up Mr. Nelson and drop him off in a hotel room for the night.

The next day, they sat together in the teacher's lounge, waiting for the assembly to begin. Mr. Nelson was fidgety as he tried not to run out to meet his sons, sitting just feet away from him, Mrs. Nelson said.

The boys said Mrs. Nelson "pulled a fast one on them" after the assembly, she said. After weeks of dancing around their inquiries about Mr. Nelson's return date, they were together again.

Next stop? Disneyland.