Patriotic Sendoff for Milton Teacher

Milton Iraq A phone call she never really expected has a kindergarten teacher packing her bags and getting ready to deploy to Iraq.

by Debbie Williams

Published: Tue, November 27, 2007 - 5:05 pm CST Last Updated: Tue, November 27, 2007 - 5:14 pm CST

A phone call she never really expected has a kindergarten teacher packing her bags and getting ready to deploy to Iraq. But, not before her entire school let her know how much they'll miss her.
Brenda Dwiggins is a kindergarten teacher. "They know every morning they are going to get a hug that they are going to be taken care of everyday and sometimes they may not get that anywhere else."
She is a wife and mother. "She called me and said I need for you to come home right away there's something I need to tell you and we knew it's scary," says her husband Chuck.
She is also a Navy reservist. Three weeks ago her commanding officer called to let her know she would deploy to Iraq. It was a phone call she wasn't expecting. "We know that we're suppose to be ready at all time but you can be prepared but that doesn't necessarily mean you are ready for that phone call."
Students and staff of East Milton Elementary couldn't let her leave without letting her know how much she will be missed. There were hugs, tears a marching band and a host of dignitaries to wish her well. But it's the children that mean the most, they always have. "I'm just overwhelmed with the love they have for me."
The celebration was dripping in red, white and blue. But there's another color that's prominent on campus yellow ribbons that will stay here until Dwiggins returns.
800 voices rise up in a chorus of "God Bless the U.S.A.", "They understand what it's all about," she says, "we have a military group here a lot of families have members that are there or have come back."
Now it's Dwiggins turn and when she packs her bags for Iraq, she'll take a little piece of East Milton with her. "I love them and that's foremost and I will carry each one of them in my heart."

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