WEYMOUTH, Mass. — Patience, endurance and tolerance are things we don’t expect out of young kids. But on Wednesday, a Weymouth school awarded a sister and brother, ages five and seven, for showing those qualities this past year.
That was when their prize emerged from behind a curtain.
He missed birthdays and holidays and everything in between, but after a year of service in Kuwait, Sergeant First Class Steven Bellows was not going to miss his big reveal.
“I love being home,” SFC Bellows said. “It’s great to be with my kids and my family. Waited a really long time for it, so just really nice to be home.”
SFC Bellows surprised his young son and daughter by showing up during assembly time at the Frederick Murphy Elementary School in Weymouth.
The topic of the assembly was patience, but it was a set-up, an opportunity to call the Bellows siblings to the stage to honor their patience as they waited for dad to come home.
They didn't know he was right behind the curtain.
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“It was the first time we've done this and it was fantastic,” said Patrick Costello, the school’s principal. “What a great event. So happy for the family.”
Weymouth has a way of turning out military heroes.
“We have five Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, more than any other city or town in the country,” said State Rep. James Murphy of Weymouth. “We have a strong tradition of military service.”
In fact, the school that SFC Bellows’ children attend is named for one of those Medal of Honor recipients, Frederick Murphy, who died in World War II while heroically coming to the aid of other injured soldiers.
SFC Bellows leaves behind a Middle East arguably more dangerous than when he arrived there last year.
“He timed his departure from the Middle East maybe at the right time,” said Weymouth Mayor Bob Hedlund. “Hopefully it won't matter but could be at the right time.”
Fortunately, it seems there’s never a wrong time for coming home.
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