Just last week, 5th grader Kennedy Shaw told her father via Skype that all she wanted for Christmas was him home from Afghanistan, a dream that wasn’t scheduled to come true until the spring.
Little did she know her wish would come true.
On Tuesday, Sgt. Jayson Shaw was at his daughter’s school, B.B. Owen Elementary in the Colony.
The sergeant was sent to Afghanistan for duty in June to manage properties for the Army, and he expected that duty to last into March or April.
However, Shaw said due to U.S. military operations scaling back in the country, he and many other soldiers were sent home early, so he decided to surprise his family.
First came his mother and brother when he arrived back in North Texas.
"I got so weak, I lost all my strength in my legs,” said mother Mary Shaw. "It's definitely a blessing. I'm just so happy to have him home for Christmas. I'm so happy."
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Sgt. Shaw really wanted to surprise Kennedy, though.
So, he coordinated with her school who got a large box donated by Home Depot and wrapped it as a present; then they wrapped Shaw in it.
During Kennedy’s 5th grade play for her school Tuesday they put the box backstage and, after the show wrapped, told students it was a special surprise to be given to a student randomly drawn from a bowl, but Kennedy’s name was the only one inside.
When she removed the bow on the box, her dad popped out, and she immediately jumped into his arms with tears in her eyes.
"I thought he was going to be back, like, towards my birthday in April or something,” said Kennedy adding it was the best gift she could open.
Sgt. Shaw agreed.
"Oh yes, by far, by far. I don't need anything else. I don't need nothing. Haha!"
