Max Miller has an additional reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving.
Max, a fifth grader at Blevins Elementary School, was surprised by the early return of his grandfather, Army Staff Sgt. Andy Casey, during a school Veterans Day assembly on Nov. 10.
“I was really happy and surprised,” Max, 10, said. “I thought he was going to be back a lot later than that, almost before Christmas. I didn’t know what was going on at all.”
Max’s mother, Becky Miller, said she had told her children that Casey was not expected to be home until next month. Casey had been deployed for about a year.
“We told the kids that (Casey) wasn’t coming home before Christmas to keep it a surprise,” Becky said. “Max is still the youngest one, so it’s easier to pull the wool over his eyes, maybe.”
Casey was hidden at the school in Principal Hector Ramirez’s office. Casey said there was no way he could have kept the secret of his early return until Thanksgiving.
“It was the first time in my whole life I was in the principal’s office for a good reason,” Casey said. “I just waited there until they told me to come out so we could have the element of surprise. I probably couldn’t have hidden that whole time (waiting for Thanksgiving), because (Max) comes over to our house so frequently.”
Coming home
Casey, an Army engineer, is a member of the Festus Missouri National Guard. He was called across the state to Carthage to deploy with the 294th Engineer Company for his recent military tour.
Casey said he helped rebuild military bases as part of the Horn of Africa mission for 11 months.
Miller said she lives about a mile away from Casey and his wife, Cindy, in Eureka. She said Casey visits all the time when he is home, and they come over for dinner once a week.
“Andy got back (Nov. 8),” Miller said. “Cindy had to drive down to Joplin to pick him up. When they got back on Wednesday night, she talked to the school to see if he could surprise him during the assembly.”
From left, Staff Sgt. Andy Casey, Max Miller, Cindy Casey and Becky Miller.
Miller said the surprise visit was organized at the last minute, and she was happy that everything worked out so well.
“I had made (Max) an ‘I’m a proud Army grandson’ sweatshirt the night before, and I told him to make sure he wore it at the assembly,” she said.
Cindy said the Blevins staff worked well with the family to set up the surprise.
“(The school) was very happy to help,” Cindy said. “I went in there and brought the idea to the principal and he was really excited. He’s like, ‘We’ve never done this before.’ They were right on board with it.”
Ramirez said Max is a quiet kid, and when he called Max up in front of the assembly, he could tell the student was not comfortable being the center of attention
“When I brought him up in front of 400 students, all the guests, and all the teachers, I think he was caught off guard a little bit,” Ramirez said. “When his grandpa comes around the corner, Max kind of loses it a little bit. They shared this special moment with everybody. I was very thankful to the family for letting us see the connection that (Max) has with his grandpa.”
Miller said because the surprise was put together so quickly, most teachers and students at the assembly had no clue what was about to happen. She said their reactions were priceless.
“The majority of the people in the gym were crying and everybody was really touched by it,” she said. “It was just really sweet, the way it all happened.”
Special bond
Max said he loves to spend time with his “granddaddy.” One of his favorite activities is making s’mores around the campfire in the summer.
“He’s just really nice and he spoils us a lot,” Max said.
Casey has five grandchildren: Max, Ryan, 12, Luke, 13, Ethan, 16, and Kyle, 17. He said he loves all of his grandchildren equally, but Max is special to him.
“(Max) is the youngest and when he was born, it was a special time. He was born extremely prematurely and spent about six months in the hospital. There’s an extra little space in my heart for him.”
Celebrating
Ramirez said Blevins celebrates Veterans Day every year with a breakfast, school assembly and heroes walk through the halls. He said about 40 veterans attended this year’s event.
Ramirez said teachers and community members prepared the food for the breakfast. He said students in every grade level sang during the program, and then the students lined the halls to thank the veterans as they walked through the school.
Veterans participate in an appreciation parade through Blevins Elementary.
Ramirez said he was grateful to Max’s family for including the elementary school in a special moment between grandfather and grandson.
“Talk about a humbling experience,” he said. “We all want to be thankful and grateful this time of year, but being a part of something special like that really humbles you fast. Every school in the district – we’re all very fortunate that we get to do things like this for our vets.”
Veterans Day celebrations
Superintendent Curtis Cain said Veterans Day celebrations took place across the district the week of Nov. 6.
“That is one day I truly wish people could be in our schools,” he said. “It doesn’t matter which part of the school district, it doesn’t matter which grade span, the sincerity and the heartfelt expressions of our students to our veterans are really hard to describe.”
Eureka High School students and staff placed 95 donated American flags around the campus to honor veterans. According to the district’s website, Eureka High raised $975 for the Disabled American Veterans nonprofit organization from the sale of the flags.
“We’ve certainly done different versions of Veterans Day celebrations throughout the years, but this is the first time that I can recall doing this,” Principal Corey Sink said of the flag display. “Dr. David Arledge and Leslie Jackson worked through all the details, and they did a fabulous job with it.”
Sink said Eureka High also invited veterans and first responders to a breakfast on Nov. 8. He said the high school jazz band played during the breakfast. On Nov. 10, the day before Veterans Day, Sink said students listened to messages about Veterans Day over the loudspeaker.
“We were remembering those who have served and given their lives for our country,” he said.
LaSalle Springs Middle School in Wildwood organized a parade on Nov. 10, thanking veterans with handmade signs.
Geggie Elementary invited veterans to a Nov. 10 concert performed by students. The school’s hallways also were papered with red, white and blue thank-you messages written by students.
Communications Coordinator David Morrison said on Nov. 10, Eureka Elementary held a breakfast for veterans and their students before school began, followed by an assembly. The school strings and chorus students performed, he said.
“It is easily one of the top days of the school year,” Cain said. “It’s a great reminder that freedom is never free. I couldn’t be prouder of how our students express that, whether it’s at an assembly, an indoor parade or an outdoor parade. It’s a very affirming and respectful day.”