Marine surprises brother, 8, at school
Emilio Pereira, 8, center, sees his brother, Sigfredo Arturo Velasquez, left, for the first time since he left for the war in Afghanistan. Velasquez and their mother, Sonia Pereira, surprised Emilio at his school, Leo F. Giblyn School in Freeport on Friday. (Dec. 9, 2011) Newsday/ J. Conrad Williams Jr. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams, Jr.
At the top of 8-year-old Emilio Pereira's Christmas list was a wish that his older brother, a Marine serving in Afghanistan, would come home safe for the holidays.
On Friday morning, the third-grader's present arrived -- formally wrapped.
Lance Cpl. Sigfredo Arturo Velasquez, just home on a 30-day leave, made a surprise visit in full uniform to his brother's Freeport elementary school classroom.
"What's up, amigo?" Velasquez, 22, said as he entered the room at Leo F. Giblyn Elementary.
Emilio ran from his seat to give his brother a hug and didn't want to let go. His huge smile said it all.
"I didn't know he was going to come in," Emilio said later. "I get to see my brother."
Teary-eyed teachers watched the reunion in front of television cameras and reporters.
In November, Emilio's class adopted Velasquez as its hero, making him cards and an American flag with red handprints for stripes and handwritten "thank-yous."
Emeley Moz-Hernandez, 8, read aloud a message she wrote for Velasquez: "Thank you for protecting our country . . . Emilio misses you when you are away from home and I hope you are safe."
The students thought they were going to talk with Velasquez via Skype on Friday, but educators and Emilio's mother, Sonia Pereira, hatched the surprise plan.
A little after 10 a.m., Velasquez and his mother entered the classroom.
"It was very special," the Marine said of his brother's reaction. "I am very close to him and I miss him a lot."
Pereira stood at her grown son's side, her voice breaking as she thanked the class and said, "I have my son here."
Teacher Lisa Malone said her class had been preparing for the Skype chat for days, making decorations and drafting questions.
Her eyes grew misty when Emilio embraced his brother.
"These are really tears of joy," she said.
Velasquez returned home Thursday. He has been serving in the infantry in Afghanistan since April, working with Afghan soldiers and police.
The Freeport High School graduate was honored by Superintendent Kishore Kuncham, who presented him with a framed piece of art created by kids throughout the district.
"You make Freeport and the country proud," Kuncham said.
But Velasquez told the students that teachers are heroes, too.
"If you can, make me a promise," he said. "Love your teachers and do what they tell you to do."
