Libertyville Marine deployed to Middle East returns to surprise little sister, mom at school

After spending more than six months deployed in the Middle East, United States Marine Cpl. Maxwell Sampson returned home to surprise his sister, Frances Sampson, and his mother, Paige Sampson, in the third grade classroom of Karen McLean at Butterfield School in Libertyville.

Sampson's father, Michael, a commander in the naval reserve, along with his Marine son, planned the surprise long-distance with the Libertyville school principal and teacher while Max was stationed in Kuwait.

"I have been planning this day for six months," Max wrote in an email to the school principal, Dr. Candice Kehoe.

McLean's students believed Mrs. Sampson was coming for a "Pop in Parent" activity, she said.

"The students are used to 'Pop in Parents' who come to my class to do a little something with them, so the students will think it is a Pop in Parent coming," McLean said.

A TV news crew was on hand, so Kehoe told the students the mystery parent was in the news business so as not to spoil the surprise.

A 2014 Libertyville High School graduate and Butterfield alumnus Cpl. Sampson joined the military in October 2016, inspired, in part, his mother said, by his father's military service.

Mrs. Sampson said the family has a long history of surprising one another but noted that this day's series of surprises may be the best ones.

"It's good to be home," Sampson, 23, said. His girlfriend, Alyssa Hayes, whom he met in college, stood by him and smiled.

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