For a soldier home from Afghanistan day of sweet reunions

Brooke Spaulding, 10, sobs as she hugs her father, Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Spaulding, in her classroom at Pine Grove Elementary School on Wednesday morning. She and her two siblings didn't know he would be home on leave.

For a soldier home from Afghanistan, the day brings three sweet reunions
By Tony Marrero, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, September 17, 2009
BROOKSVILLE

The blond girl in the back of the class was the last to look up when the soldier walked into Room 710 at Pine Grove Elementary School on Wednesday morning.

The 10-year-old fifth-grader sat hunched over her workbook, focused on a reading lesson.

The soldier, dressed in combat fatigues and desert boots, walked halfway across the room before the girl saw him coming.

"Daddy!" she shouted, jumping from her desk and into her father's arms. The tears flowed immediately. Her breathing came in little hiccups.
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For a soldier home from Afghanistan