A Hero’s Return: Welcome Home Sgt. John McIntyre

BY MELANIE BUCK –

Grace McIntyre, a pre-school student at Louise Durham Elementary, was attending an assembly about heroes when her real-life hero showed up. Grace’s dad, Sgt. John McIntyre, has been deployed in Kuwait and Iraq with the U.S. Army National Guard for the last 12-months. With the assistance of a very willing Louise Durham staff, Grace was able to share the moment with a few hundred fellow students.

Expertly orchestrated, LD Principal Jimma Holder called Grace to hold the flag while the students recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Already awe struck at standing on the stage in front of all the school, Grace was stunned when her daddy, whom she hadn’t seen in a year stepped out from behind his own welcome home sign to embrace his daughter, a moment that he no doubt had clung too while serving in the Middle East.

“We would like to thank the schools especially the teacher, Sara Bentley, and Principal Jimma Holder for setting it up because they gave us a memorable moment that we will always cherish. It was definitely special for us. I was very happy that she did this and very blessed that my daughter has such a wonderful teacher to give Grace and her father such a wonderful welcome home moment,” said Grace’s mom, Vanessa.

Sgt. McIntyre told the kids that it was they for whom he’d been fighting. Even though he was seeing his daughter for the first in a very long while, he graciously knelt to speak to each of the students who wanted the honor to meet him, a real-life hero that certainly left a lasting impression beyond the fictional super-heroes that wear cloaks and masks.

Sgt. McIntyre serves with the Arkansas National Guard 1038^th unit out of Little Rock, and has been enlisted for 5 years after serving 4 ½ years with the Navy before that.

“It’s a big sacrifice for the family, especially the little ones. She kept asking during the whole deployment, ‘where’s daddy,’ ‘I miss my dad,’ ‘when is my daddy coming home,’” Vanessa said, “but, she has said all weekend, ‘mommy, I’m so glad my daddy is home.’”

It was an emotional moment for all as even the students felt the magic of the moment. The Pulse was able to catch the reunion on video, which can be seen on Facebook at Polk County Pulse.

About Author

Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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