For three unsuspecting siblings attending Saint Anthony School in San Antonio, a student assembly marking an early start for Christmas break on Dec. 19 was more than it seemed.
It actually was cover for a carefully orchestrated holiday surprise: The return of their father, U.S. Army Col. Peter Quinn.
(Courtesy of Bryant L. Griffin)
Quinn, who just returned from Bagram, Afghanistan for a two-week leave, was determined to give his children a present they wouldn’t forget, especially since the deployment — his second to the region — resulted in nearly a year of separation from his Wesley Chapel family.
Working with the Army Intelligence and Security Command in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Quinn currently serves as a senior contracting officer’s representative providing linguistic support to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. His deployment ends next May, when he plans to return stateside and retire from the Army after 30 years of service.
His secretive homecoming came together with help from his wife Kelly, and the school.
“When I cooked up this idea several months ago and presented it to Kelly, she said, ‘You’re crazy,’” Peter Quinn said. “I said, ‘We could make this happen. We can make one of those special moments for Saint Anthony’s.
“I wanted to do something special for my kids. Every military dad wants to do that.”
However, meeting the surprise’s tight schedule after 20 hours of flying during two days of transit was tricky. His 10:30 a.m. Tampa arrival only allowed him a little more than an hour to reach the school.
The students assembled in the school’s parish center were set to head home at noon after prayers and announcements. Like Peter Quinn’s children, the students also were unaware of his imminent homecoming.
“I was a little bit worried because I almost missed my connecting flight,” Quinn said. “I was five minutes out from it taking off. I was running to my gate … because I wasn’t going to miss this.”
His children — Grace, 11; Faith, 11; and Gabriel 13 — were seated amongst their 200 classmates when Quinn, dressed in his camouflage duty uniform, suddenly emerged from the curtained stage. The reveal left them stunned.
Quinn, bearing the widest of grins, met their dash to the stage with a long-awaited embrace. The hugs were prolonged and repeated as cheers and applause quickly swept through the assembled students.
“It’s just really exciting,” said Fran Shiver, a Zephyrhills parent of a fourth-grade daughter at the school. “I think it’s something that just goes back to family. It’s so exciting to see the smiles on the kids’ faces. We really appreciate his service.”
For the school’s principal, Sister Alice Ottapurackal, the homecoming represents the very heart of Saint Anthony.
“We’re grateful that he is safe and coming back to us,” Ottapurackal said. “We do pray every day for him, and all the military people who are serving the country.
“We’re like a family, so we’re truly excited to see the children’s expressions.”
Indeed, as the hugs and tears continued before the school’s students, Quinn couldn’t have imagined a more poignant homecoming.
“This is the longest time we have been apart,” he said. “And they have been doing great helping mom out, and great in school. They have been a true blessing.”
Kelly Quinn couldn’t agree more.
“I just stood back there and I just wanted to see their reaction,” she said. “It was awesome.”
By Bryant L. Griffin
Published January 7, 2015
