It was an ecstatic lunch period for fourth-grader Hope Brown today (4.12.19) at LES (Lakeland Elementary School).
Her father, Capt. John Brown, surprised her by coming to lunch after being away on military deployment for nine months.
She sprinted from her lunch table to greet him and jumped into his arms. All the while, LES faculty and staff were watching with tears of happiness.
Capt. Brown, with the Mississippi National Guard, had not seen his daughter for a year. He was in Texas for three months, he said, before being deployed to Kuwait and Syria.
Since he is not on active duty, he said he returns to his civilian job as an instructor in industrial maintenance at Itawamba Community College. He lives outside Tupelo.
Also on hand was Hope’s mother, Magen Culver with Liam Culver, two-years-old. Her husband is Parker Culver and is with the Memphis Police Department.
The visit was part of “Purple Up! for military kids day at the school. Kristen Nichols, second grade teacher, has been coordinating this activity since 2015. ”This year, I have had the help of some wonderful military wives and mothers.”
There are about 100 children of military families at LES, according to Principal Joretha Lockhart. The day started with active military parents and neighbors lining the school with banners welcoming the children. There was also a “Purple Up!” sign at the front of the school and inside, a wall with all the military children’s names along with a map showing all the places the children have lived.
… Photos, video by Jim Willis, Lakeland Currents
