Soldier Homecoming

On Thursday, a very special event took place at Voyage Academy. Our front office received a phone call around 1:30pm, two of our student’s dad was coming home from Afghanistan. His plane had arrived, and he would be at the school in one hour. His girls thought he was coming home the following day. In true Voyage fashion we went to work to call an impromptu Community Circle. Mrs. Stanton (our secretary) called the city and they were able to get us 75 flags in a matter of minutes. Other staff members jumped in to get the Standard Examiner called. The Fire Fighters just happened to show up, and then went back and got more fire fighters, an ambulance, and police officers. Sixth grade students created a sign. Fifth and Sixth grade students were given a crash course in flag etiquette. Maki (our wonderful janitor) and others went to work to get flags up outside, and many more things were happening.



There was excitement in the air. Mrs. Coleman called a "Community Circle" and started it out by talking about our great country and how many people “Strive for Excellence” to make it so great. The students then sang "Count on me" by Bruno Mars. They had no idea what was about to happen.The fifth & sixth grade students were lined up along the gym walls holding flags. The song "God bless the USA" began to play over the loud speakers, and an American soldier entered the room. Sitting on the floor in the front row was fourth-grade student Ashtyn. As soon as she saw that it was her dad in the uniform, her face crumpled in tears. She ran up to him, completely melting herself deep into his hug. His first-grade daughter, Attley, sat in shock staring at her dad until her teacher nudged her forward. It had been almost a year since they had seen their dad. The room was filled with tear streaked faces, and everybody sat watching humbly as this family was reunited. It was an amazing opportunity for all the students to witness such a special event in this family's life.




Voyage Academy would like to thank our US troops and their families for all of the sacrifices they make for our Country. Vikings are proud to be American and are grateful to have all of the freedoms we have. God bless the USA!

Link to video
Welcoming a hero home

Link to Standard Examiner article: