HOULTON, Maine — It is just the simple gestures that mean so much. For Isaac Campbell, 10, of Houlton, one act of kindness struck him to his core, bringing thankful tears to his eyes.
In April, Campbell, son of Elisha Haney and Brian Campbell of Houlton, was part of a special section on home improvement in the Houlton Pioneer Times weekly newspaper in which youngsters were asked, “If you could add anything to your house, what would it be?”
Campbell’s simple and sincere answer — the United States flag — caught the eye of one U.S. serviceman and his wife when they were looking through their hometown paper while he is stationed in Norfolk, Virginia.
“For Alysia and I, that hit home very hard,” U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer John J. Schools said. “I get emotional over this because the flag is very important to me. A lot of us think of Memorial Day weekend as the start of summer … summertime cookouts, camping, a day off from school … but for our family, it means a little bit more than that. It is to honor our fallen, who died for our country. And that is what our flag represents.”
On May 22, the Houlton Southside School held an assembly to present monthly attendance awards. It was then Principal Cindy Peterson let the students in on a secret.
“We have a special surprise that fits in with the holiday,” she said a couple of days before Memorial Day. “I cannot express to you how exciting and important this is.”
That’s when Schools, who serves on the aircraft carrier the USS George H. W. Bush, appeared via Skype to Houlton Southside students. He watched as Campbell opened a package and pulled out a folded United States flag that had flown over the vessel while Schools and his crewmates were under way on the Atlantic Ocean.
“I went out to sea and I flew that flag on the mast,” Schools said.
With the flag and other gifts from the box in hand, the dam broke and Campbell put his head down as his mother kissed him on the head.
“It is very emotional,” Haney said. “I did not know it would go this far.”
Schools agreed.
“We never thought it would be this big of a deal. All we wanted to do is get this kid a flag,” he said.
When Haney saw the answer her son had given to the newspaper, she asked him, why he would choose the American flag?
“I want to be in the Navy when I get older,” he replied.
Schools’ mother, Lynda, who was on hand for the assembly, said she was proud of her son and his wife.
“They came up with this idea not knowing who this child was. I always thought JJ looked like a Navy guy with his blond hair, and I told Isaac, you have blond hair, so you are going to join the Navy.”
“I had a hard time keeping it together. I get so emotional about this,” Schools said when talking via Skype.
“It was awesome,” his mother replied.
As she cried, she said, “I am so very proud of both of you.”
Just before leaving the assembly, Campbell came to the stage to once again speak to Schools. As he sobbed, his voice squeaked out, “thank you so much.”
As Campbell continued to show his emotion, he looked into the monitor and Schools said, “we want to thank you. You are a good kid. We are proud of you. We are very proud of you. Be a good person and keep doing what you are doing. We got you a flag. I hope you enjoy it.”
“If I could have gotten you a hundred flags, I would have gotten you a hundred flags,” Alysia added.
Among the other gifts in Campbell’s package were a ship’s coin, a photograph of the USS George H.W. Bush, a letter from the Command Master Chief and a little cut out star.
“That star is a piece of a flag we flew while on deployment, while we were in the Persian Gulf,” Schools said. “As flags got torn apart on the mast, I cut the stars out and put them in a package with a saying inside of them that said, ‘I am part of the United States flag. I was flown aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, while deployed during Operation Enduring Freedom. Please keep me for a reminder of the sacrifices made for your freedoms by our military and their families.’”