Photo by Pat Sunderland
Hugs all around
Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Stone surprised his three children by popping into their classrooms several days earlier than they expected him to return from Afghanistan. Colin and Faith attend Lincoln Elementary School; Abigail is a student at Delta Middle School. Andrea Stone helped her kids keep track of their dad’s absence by transferring pebbles from one jar to another. More than 500 pebbles were moved during Stone’s year and a half absence. “I’m looking forward to relaxing and learning to be an American again,” he said. A transfer to Fort Carson is also in the works. During Sgt. Stone’s deployment, Andrea and the kids elected to live in Delta, near Judy and Mike Stone, Joseph’s proud parents. They added that Stone was awarded the Bronze Star for going above and beyond as the non-commissioned officer in charge of a signal support team on the Pakistan border.
