By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Union City Elementary School kindergarten student Maislynn Hale brought something special to show-and-tell.
Make that “someone special.”
Maislynn’s father, Matt, visited his daughter’s class earlier this week – just a few days after returning home from a year-long deployment with the Tennessee National Guard’s UC-based 913th Engineering Company.
Sgt. Hale was part of two local groups to return home from an assignment that supported contingency operations in Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border.
Maislynn’s teacher, Sara Brown, had encouraged her class to write letters of appreciation and thank-you to all soldiers for their service. They were on display last week when the first of two groups from the 913th returned home.
“Maislynn had mentioned beforehand how excited she was about her daddy coming home, so I just thought it would be a thoughtful and kind gesture by our class to show our appreciation for the soldiers’ service,” Brown said.
“Then, when he came to speak to our students, they were very attentive and asked great questions about Sergeant Hale’s deployment and his responsibilities. Everything they did — from the thank-you letters to them being attentive during his visit — was truly heartfelt.”
During his visit, Matt – who also has a son (Rylan) at UCES — showed students on a school map exactly where he was deployed on the Texas/Mexico border. He explained his duties there, which included patrolling the border along the Rio Grande River and doing community work among the locals.
He also answered students’ questions about how he trained, what he ate and where he slept.
At the end of Matt’s presentation, kindergarten students and teachers thanked him in person for his service.
In a continued study of the importance of the American soldier, all Union City Elementary School students will now participate in a project as they make a “Wall of Honor” to celebrate and recognize veterans as part of Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11.
Students have been encouraged to bring photos of any family service member who has served or is currently serving, noting their branch of service.
The photos will be prominently featured on the walls at UCES.