Veteran surprises granddaughter after she reads essay about his service
A U.S. Air Force veteran surprised his granddaughter Tuesday after she read an essay about him and his service during a crowded Veterans Day school concert in Schaumburg.
Sara Petrie, a second grade student at Dooley Elementary School, presented her essay near the end of the “Thank a Vet Concert” at Addams Junior High School.
As she finished and rejoined her classmates, grandfather Bill Petrie, a 25-year veteran from Newcastle, Oklahoma, greeted her.
“This is like the ultimate photobomb,” he said about surprising his granddaughter. “I don’t think she’s ever seen me in uniform. She didn’t really know what to do.”
The surprise reunion was among the highlights of the show, which featured students performing nine patriotic songs including “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Oh, I Love America,” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Veterans from the audience gathered together during the finale and stood while the crowd applauded them to end the evening. CMSgt. Petrie, 80, served four tours in Vietnam after joining the Air Force before he turned 17. He flew 200 missions as an “illuminator” on a AC-119 gunship, guiding it’s weapons in the dark over combat zones.
The “Thank A Vet Concert” was organized by music teacher Rhonda Conrad.