The teacher’s lounge isn’t usually this crowded here at Sacaton Elementary School on the Gila River Indian Community.
Faculty, students and tribal leaders helped Army Specialist Freddie Chism, who just returned from a deployment in Qatar, carry out one more mission: surprising his wife Darice and two sons, 1-year-old Liam and 6-year-old Johnny, a student at the school.
Chism’s father-in-law, Rocky Whitman, coordinated the surprise. School staff tricked Darice into coming to campus, saying Johnathan spilled juice on his shirt and needed a change of clothes.
An entire year has passed since the last time Chism could hold his family like this. He was deployed on May 27, 2018.
“So basically, what I told her is that I was going to be home two weeks from now … so yeah, I’m a big liar,” Chism said with a laugh.
Darice said she’s happy to have her family whole once again.
“Surprised, happy, relieved,” she said.