It's her first homecoming since she started her active duty in the Air Force, and a surprise welcome was more than she could bear.

A group of family and friends gathered at Grand Junction Regional airport Monday morning to welcome home 1st Lieutenant Jamie Johnson.

She's a Colorado native and calls Grand Junction her home.

Johnson graduated from Central High School and then attended the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

Her dad's birthday was Sunday, and he says picking up his daughter from the airport is the best birthday present he's ever received.

"We're going to go for a motorcycle ride," said her father Jim Daughery.  "She can't wait to get her motorcycle back."

Flying jets is something Johnson has wanted to do since middle school.

Her grandpa is a Vietnam and Korean War veteran and a hero to Johnson.

She'll be home for about two weeks before making a home with her husband in California at Travis Air Force Base.

He is also a pilot in the Air Force.