Marines' Heartwarming Reunion To Watch 'Gilmore Girls' Will Make You Cry

These marines handled war in Iraq, but when the "Gilmore Girls" revival came around, they could not handle being apart.

Their names are Jesse, Luke, Erik and John, and they are members of a sniper platoon who fell in love with the series while serving overseas.

When the show's revival, "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life," debuted, they flew across the country just to be in one room and watch.

So, just how much do they support Lorelai and Rory? Well, when CBS reporter Ben Tracy told them he never watched he show, Jesse had a simple response,

Get the shotgun, Johnny.

Later, though, Jesse got serious about how he and his friends became fans. It happened seemingly out of the blue. Jesse told Tracy,

So I found season two. It was unopened in like some library in the middle of a base in Iraq.

Beyond the fact they stumbled upon the show by mere coincidence, the marines made an obvious connection to the series and its setting. Erik explained,

At least for me, Stars Hollow was the America I think we all thought – we all wished we were fighting for.

"Gilmore Girls" creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino know all about the marines' love for the show. While he was still in Iraq, Luke wrote them a letter.

The letter expressed why the four marines' love for the show was related to their love for their country. The words were so significant that the servicemen got choked up as Luke recited the lines,

In the end, much of the entertainment is escapism. And for me and a few friends over here in Iraq, there's no place we'd rather escape to. It reminds us of all the best parts of home.

The Palladinos kept the letter for over a decade, and even sent a care package to Iraq when they originally received it.

And as Luke, Erik, Jesse and John met for the reunion, the creators surprised them with a video call.

But even without the surprise call, or the spotlight of CBS cameras, the reunion would likely have been just as special. That's because, as Erik says, it was all about being together.

While we are going to watch the 'Gilmore Girls' and that's a huge part of it and we're very, very excited for this revival, the reality was, we just need to get together. We need excuses to get together. We need excuses to remember.

That excuse just happened to be the revival of a show they fell in love with at war.

Citations: CBS News