Marine dads surprised in classroom

Alex Aguilar thought he was there for a special academic award presentation to his son.

Antonio Beaufort thought he was there for career day.

When they arrived at Chervon Morris’ second-grade classroom at Roger Bell Elementary School, they quickly realized they were in for something much more — a party.

The class surprised the two Cherry Point Marines with a homecoming party last week, complete with balloons, cupcakes, soda and a patriotic program.

Aguilar, whose son Erick is in the class, and Beaufort, whose daughter Denasia is in the class, both recently returned to Cherry Point after long deployments.

"I wasn’t expecting this," said Aguilar, a staff sergeant with Marine Air Logistics Squadron 14 who got home Feb. 4. "I didn’t know anything. I can’t believe it."

His wife Laura came up with the idea of the phony academic award to trick him into coming to the school for what he thought was a 1 p.m. ceremony.

"I can’t forgive her," he joked.

Aguilar had the extra special moment of hearing his middle school daughter Brenda play "I’m Proud to be an American" as well as the Marine Corps hymn on her clarinet as part of the program. A sign in the classroom read "Welcome home. Together we remain strong! USMC ooh-rah!"

Beaufort, a staff sergeant with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252, said his daughter told him that her teacher, Morris, asked that he come to the school and didn’t offer an explanation.

"It was an assumption. I thought it was career day," he said. "I enjoyed it. I’m surprised."

Beaufort’s wife Michelle was also in on the surprise.

"I can forgive them," he said of being tricked into coming to the school.

He returned home on Feb. 5, which just happened to be his birthday.

"I got a few minutes to celebrate my birthday with my family," he said. "It’s been great to be home. It’s been good."

For Aguilar, he has been deployed four times.

"It’s a big relief to be home," he said. "I’m just trying to get into the routine of things. I’m just so glad to be home. It’s my fourth deployment. It’s not that I’m used to it, but it’s for the good of the service. It’s part of my job."

Morris came up with the idea for the celebration when she realized that the return of the parents coincided with lessons about community government and also meshed with the school’s character word — honor.

"I can’t think of a better way to show ‘honor’," Morris said of having the two Marines in her classroom.

She said teachers in Havelock area schools always have to deal with the varying emotions of students who have parents deployed.

"You just need to be a loving person," Morris said of dealing with students of deployed parents. "Sometimes they’ll come in and be sad. They need to know that you’re there for them and that they can come and talk to you."