Newtown Child Care Center Welcomes Military Parents Home

When U.S. Army Maj. Patrick Biggs and Capt. Beini Bao pulled up to the KinderCare Learning Center on Pheasant Run in Newtown Township Tuesday, they thought there was something wrong at the center where their 18-month-old daughter Grace was spending the morning.

“We pulled up and the cops and fire department were here. We thought there was something wrong,” Biggs said.

In reality, the police officers, firefighters, military officials and American Legion members were in attendance for a party to welcome the military family home from their deployment to Jordan and wish Grace well on her last day at the learning center.

Biggs and Bao, currently assigned to a base in El Passo, Texas, were both deployed to Jordan and left Grace with Biggs’ mother in Newtown while the couple served their country. Biggs was deployed for the past year and Bao was gone for seven months.

While the couple was away, the military couple missed many milestones in Grace’s young life. Those milestones were observed by the teachers at Kindercare Learning Center and Biggs’ mother Earlene.

Biggs said Grace was bald-headed and couldn’t walk when he was deployed. Now, he and Bao will have to spend time with Grace so she can adjust to having both her parents home with her.

“We’re wonderfully blessed with a great family support system,” Biggs said. Bao echoed her husband’s comment and said their families “were really great.”

“We figured there would be a small goodbye but not a big deal. It’s pleasant to have the community invited,” Biggs said.

Kindercare Newtown Director Alyssa Eddings and Assistant Director Lisa Barber worked to plan to the special homecoming and goodbye party for the family.

Students from the learning center wore American flag branded clothes, sang patriotic tunes and chanted “USA, USA, USA” as Biggs and Bao entered the facility.

Barber, a volunteer with American Legion Post 79 in Burlington, New Jersey, said she felt it was very important to honor and thank the couple for their service.

“Our boys need to be recognized when they come home,” said American Legion Post 79 member Joe Campor, an Air Force veteran.

Biggs and Bao are on leave the next two weeks and plan to spend as much time with Grace as possible.

Biggs chuckled as he said he would partake in tea parties with his daughter and Bao could handle potty training.

For the future, Bao has submitted paperwork to retire from the Army after 15 years and Biggs has received orders deploy to South Korea this summer. The silver lining, he said, is Bao and Grace are able to move with him to his next military base.