Aurora airman's early return surprises sons during assembly
Nathan Bautista's father couldn't make it earlier this month when other dads were sharing stories about their careers with kids at McCarty Elementary School in Aurora.
It seems Alejandro Bautista couldn't get away from his job as an Air Force staff sergeant serving at Osan Air Base in South Korea.
But on Friday, the 32-year-old Bautista more than made up for it when he surprised his third-grade son in the middle of a Make a Difference Week assembly by returning from deployment four months early.
His unexpected return for a midtour break comes just in time for Christmas, a family reunion, the New Year, and what he said he values most — quality time with Nathan, 9, younger son Benjamin, 4, and his wife, Tanya.
As long as he's spending time with his sons, Bautista said, he's a happy man.
His boys feel the same way.
Instead of using FaceTime to talk with his dad nearly every day, Nathan said he was thrilled to actually see his father in person.
“I didn't know it was going to be him walking in,” Nathan said.
He said he'll use this time to tell his dad about school and reminisce about things they did before Bautista's deployment began eight months ago, like going to car shows.
The happy homecoming for the family of four was engineered by Tanya Bautista and Jen Maginity, who teaches Nathan's third-grade class.
When Nathan's mom heard about the opportunity for dads to visit the classroom, she called Maginity to explain why her husband couldn't be there, and to ask a favor: Could the school give Nathan a surprise to make his father's holiday return even more special?
Maginity was excited to oblige. She connected Bautista's service in the military to the theme of the third-graders' Make a Difference Week, which concluded Friday after a donation drive for three animal shelters.
After students watched short video clips of people making a difference in the community — an Aurora Sunrise Rotary leader, a social worker, the school principal and a Chicago firefighter — the big moment came. Maginity introduced Bautista as someone who's making a difference not only in the community, “but in our world.”
Little Benjamin was the first to run into his father's waiting arms and enjoy a quick toss in the air. Then Nathan, looking calm despite his surprise, walked over for a group hug. His teacher smiled broadly.
“It was so hard not to tell you my secret,” Maginity told her student.
After a few moments of family together time, Bautista got to do his delayed take-your-dad-to-school-day talk by answering questions from Nathan's classmates.
How long was the flight home? The answer: 12½ hours.
What's it like being in the Air Force? Bautista, who graduated from Waubonsie Valley High School and has been in the service for nearly 11 years, said the work is satisfying.
“I feel accomplished in everything I do,” he said.
His tour in South Korea isn't over. He'll fly out in mid-January to finish an assignment there until April. But for now, the Bautista family's focus is on each other.
“I'm excited that they did this for all of us,” Tanya Bautista said.