Video courtesy of Jason Gaston/Hoover City Schools
A 7-year-old Hoover girl got a surprise reunion with her dad today after he returned from a 9-month National Guard deployment to Cuba.
Rodney Grant, a member of the Alabama Army National Guard for 11 years, was able to surprise his daughter at South Shades Crest Elementary School with the help of his wife and faculty and staff at the school.
While 7-year-old Mary Alice Grant was out on the playground at recess, Rodney and other family members were able to sneak into her second-grade classroom and be there when she returned.
Her teacher, Meredith Rice, sent Mary Alice on some errands to other teachers’ classrooms to give a little cushion time. As she delivered envelopes to the other teachers, each one gave her a flower, so she had a bouquet of flowers when she came back to her room.
She quickly set the flowers down and went to give her dad a prolonged hug.
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Photo courtesy of Jason Gaston/Hoover City Schools
Soldier surprise 9-7-16
Rodney Grant, a member of the Alabama Army National Guard, give his 7-year-old daughter, Mary Alice, a hug in a surprise reunion with her at South Shades Crest Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, after a nine-month deployment to Cuba.
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Photo courtesy of Jason Gaston/Hoover City Schools
Soldier surprise 9-7-16
Rodney Grant, a member of the Alabama Army National Guard, chats with his 7-year-old daughter, Mary Alice, during a surprise reunion with her at South Shades Crest Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, after a nine-month deployment to Cuba.
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Photo courtesy of Jason Gaston/Hoover City Schools
Soldier surprise 9-7-16
Rodney Grant, a member of the Alabama Army National Guard, kisses his 7-year-old daughter, Mary Alice, on the head during a surprise reunion with her at South Shades Crest Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, after a nine-month deployment to Cuba.
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Photo courtesy of Jason Gaston/Hoover City Schools
Soldier surprise 9-7-16
Rodney Grant, a member of the Alabama Army National Guard, reunites with his 7-year-old daughter, Mary Alice, at South Shades Crest Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, after a nine-month deployment to Cuba.
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Photo courtesy of Jason Gaston/Hoover City Schools
Soldier surprise 9-7-16
Rodney Grant, a member of the Alabama Army National Guard, reunites with his 7-year-old daughter, Mary Alice, at South Shades Crest Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, after a nine-month deployment to Cuba.
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Photo courtesy of Jason Gaston/Hoover City Schools
Soldier surprise 9-7-16
Rodney Grant, a member of the Alabama Army National Guard, joins his wife, Jennie Grant, and 16-year-old stepdaughter, Bailey Yates, in surprising his 7-year-old daughter, Mary Alice, at South Shades Crest Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, after a nine-month deployment to Cuba.
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Photo courtesy of Jason Gaston/Hoover City Schools
Soldier surprise 9-7-16
Rodney Grant, a member of the Alabama Army National Guard, and his 16-year-old stepdaughter, Bailey Yates, share a moment prior to surprising Grant's 7-year-old daughter, Mary Alice, at South Shades Crest Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, after a nine-month deployment to Cuba.
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Photo courtesy of Jason Gaston/Hoover City Schools
Soldier surprise 9-7-16
Students in Meredith Rice's second-grade class at South Shades Crest Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, show off American flags just prior to one of their classmates being reunited her dad after a nine-month deployment to Cuba with the Alabama Army National Guard.
“I saw my dad, and I was little nervous, and I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “There were a lot of cameras.”
Mary Alice knew her mom, Jennie, had gone to Alexander City this past weekend to pick her dad up but didn’t expect them back until Thursday or Friday, she said.
However, she saw a picture of her dad and 16-year-old sister that her sister had posted on Instagram and knew he had arrived back in Alabama, she said. Her grandmother and aunt tried to convince her that the picture must have been an older picture or digitally altered, so she was a little confused, she said.
Nevertheless, she didn’t know her dad was coming to her school today and is glad to have him home again, she said.
Rodney Grant, who is in the 214th military police unit, actually had been gone from home for about 11 months due to pre-deployment and post-deployment routines. This was his third overseas deployment, the first two being in Iraq and Qatar, he said.
Mary Alice said she misses doing things with him, like fishing, riding bikes or going to the park, when he is gone, and she’s glad to have him back home.
Rodney, a truck driver for Sherman Concrete in Birmingham, said there always is range of emotions when he comes back from deployment.
“When you’re gone, a lot happens. The kids grow up. You miss a lot of activities at school, birthdays and stuff like that,” he said. “But I’m excited to be home with my family.”
