HAZEL GREEN, Ala. — Peyton Cox went to Hazel Green Elementary as a student and now his mother is a Kindergarten teacher there. With a little help and a lot of planning, he was able to surprise her at the school.
Cox, a private second class in the Army, left Hazel Green March 1, 2020 and went to Ft. Jackson in South Carolina to begin basic training for the Alabama Army National Guard. A couple weeks after he arrived at Ft. Jackson, the nation was shut down due to COVID-19. He graduated from basic training on May 14, 2020, but unfortunately family was not allowed to be in attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines.
Fast forward to December 9, 2020, at Fort Gordon in Georgia, Cox completed his AIT training and graduated. Once again, his family was not allowed to be in attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions. He has not seen any family for more than 9 months.
His unit is set to be deployed overseas to the middle east for training and support. He will be gone for another 10 months, so this visit couldn't have come at a better time.
Principal Dr. Sheila Jones was part of the surprise. Peyton Cox was a student at Hazel Green Elementary and said It was sweet to see faculty from the past and surprise his mom with his homecoming.
See more pictures of the reunion of Peyton Cox and his mother below:
