“The moment I saw my dad, I felt like it wasn’t real”
Loveland, OH- On Tuesday, November 21st, Loveland Intermediate student Reagan McGuire sat with her peers while her principal, Garth Carlier spoke about the meaning of Thanksgiving. The sixth grader was presented with a heartwarming and human surprise– a visit from her dad, Jesse, home for a visit from his service as a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant in Iraq.
“[Jesse] has been active duty for 5 years. We are currently stationed at Ft. Polk, Louisiana. However, when he deployed to Iraq over the summer, myself and our kids decided to move to Ohio where our extended family lives. […] My husband, Jesse McGuire, returned home from Iraq earlier than expected so our daughter had no idea he was home. When we heard he was coming home, I arranged for the school to surprise her during class,” mother Lindsay McGuire told Loveland Magazine.
Jesse McGuire is a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operator. SSG McGuire flies drones in Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve– a campaign to take down ISIS started in 2014.
Upon seeing her father, Reagan McGuire sprung forward into his arms as the classroom burst into applause and tears. The video posted on the Loveland City Schools Facebook page has 202,000 views, 2,400 likes and 650 shares (and counting). Loveland schools extended their thanks to mother, Lindsay, and brother, Alex for sharing their moment with the Tiger Family.
“We are used to dealing with separations and we always look forward to the homecomings, but we are overwhelmed with how supportive the community has been,” Lindsay McGuire explained.
“The moment I saw my dad, I felt like it wasn’t real– because how often does your dad who’s 6500 miles away walk into your social studies classroom? But once I realized it was real, I couldn’t get to him fast enough,” sixth grader, Reagan McGuire, said.
