A Soldier’s Surprise Family Reunion

What started as a school assembly ended up being a surprise family reunion.

Sgt. 1st Class Ed Rosado deployed to Kuwait in March. His sons thought he’d be returning home the day before Thanksgiving, but the homecoming came a week in advance.

The U.S. Army soldier has one son at Imogene Gideon Elementary School and another at Timberview High School. School administrators helped the family come up with a way to surprise the boys at one location.

“We had an assembly, and I invited Timberview High School’s JROTC cadets over to present the colors,” said Shanee Charles, principal of Gideon Elementary. “We invite Timberview students over here all the time for different events, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary.”

The assembly featured people in or wanting to be in the military, and the students had the opportunity to ask questions.

The Rosado family is grateful to be together for the holidays.

Toward the end of the event, a video played of Rosado sending greetings from overseas. To the crowd’s surprise, he was standing right there in the back of the cafeteria.

“As soon as I saw his face, I knew it was unbelievable. I was excited,” said Janmanuel Rosado, fourth-grader at Gideon Elementary. “It was like the best day of my life.”

“I tried to hold back the tears, but I couldn’t help it,” said Timberview senior Jose Rosado, who was recently accepted into the U.S. Air Force. “Without my dad, I wouldn’t be here.”

Many in the crowd were in tears to see the family’s reunion. The father said he is grateful to the Mansfield ISD teachers who look out for his sons while he’s away and for everyone coming together to make the assembly happen.

“Being able to surprise my kids is amazing,” the 19-year serviceman explained. “It’s indescribable.”

Rosado said it’s always a wonderful feeling to be able to return to his wife and children so that he can be a part of the daily routines once again.

Gifts of Love to Our Four-Legged Soldiers

Fort Hood soldiers and their canine partners introduce
themselves to Daulton Elementary students, parents, and staff.

They may be cute and cuddly, but don’t let the fur fool you. Military dogs are an integral part to the protection of our country.

Students and staff at Anna May Daulton Elementary School are helping those four-legged soldiers get the support they need by raising money and collecting supplies to ship overseas. Through Operation Military Care K9, the campus is sending the military dogs and their handlers items to keep them healthy and protect them from harsh weather conditions.

“I want the kids to know how important these dogs are to our military,” said Lynn Kostel, librarian at Daulton who organized the fundraiser. “These dogs are nobody’s pet, and they’re vital to the survival of our guys.”

A military canine retrieves an object for his handler.

All branches of the armed forces utilize military service dogs specializing in drug and bomb detection. The canines sniff out narcotics, search for explosives, and support in other roles.

To kick off the fundraiser, Fort Hood soldiers visited the school with their canine partners to demonstrate how the dogs are used in different missions. The kids and adults were excited to see the dogs as they exhibited their talents.

“We try to teach kids about what the dogs really do,” said Sgt. 1st Class William Morton. “They always see dogs out and about, but this is a little different from the dogs they have at home.”

After the demonstration, the soldiers were surprised with baskets of supplies that were donated by local businesses. Kostel said the entire community did not hesitate to support when they heard about an opportunity to support the troops.

Local businesses donated gifts for the military dogs.

“I cried when I saw everything that they brought,” said Kostel. “Chick-fil-A sponsored the soldier’s lunch. We also had Petco, Petsmart, and Pet Supplies Plus supply items for the dogs.”

Daulton Elementary hopes the gifts of love keep coming. Money can be donated through the PTA, and the campus will be accepting items through Friday, Feb. 12. A list of needed canine supplies is available here.