United States Army soldier surprises daughter at Dublin school

DUBLIN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A fourth grader at Hillcrest Elementary in Dublin says Friday was the best day of her life.

She was in the middle of getting her school lunch when her hero came to visit.

10 year old Ivyana Kennedy was lost for words when she saw her dad walk into her school’s lunch room.

“I was just in complete shock.I don’t even have words to talk about it,” she explains.

After being deployed to South Korea for 14 months SFC. Andre Kennedy says he’s so happy to be back at home.

He says, “I missed my family. I missed my daughter and wife so I’m excited about that.”

Ivyana says these long months have been a struggle for her being away from her father.

“It’s been very hard but the first couple of months were even harder but it’s gotten better as he’s been gone,” she says.

The room was filled with smiles and tears of joy. Ivyana says this is a day she will always remember.

“This is the first time that he has been deployed while I knew that and understand it and it’s going to probably be one of the reasons why. I’m in Dublin and I love Dublin and I love all of my friends here and I’m going to always remember Dublin with this memory,” she adds.

SFC. Kennedy says he is home for 30 days until he goes to Fort Rucker in Alabama for his next promotion.