CRESTVIEW — On the morning of Sept. 26, Walker Elementary School first-graders in Heather Spellings’ class presented personal timelines they and their parents created. One after the other, the children recounted their first six years of life. Pedro Masso Jr. eagerly anticipated his turn, not knowing the most recent entry in his timeline held a big surprise.

Pedro’s dad, Sgt. Pedro Masso Sr., a communications specialist with the U.S. Army Seventh Special Forces Group (Airborne), had been deployed in Afghanistan since January. His eldest son and namesake missed him, and frequently asked his mom, Stephanie Masso, when his dad would be coming home.

Unbeknown to Pedro, Wednesday was the day.

Stephanie Masso arrived with Pedro’s timeline and together they and Spellings presented it to the class. They looked at photos of Pedro as an infant, from his first Christmas to riding his dirt bike. Then there was a last entry: “Today Daddy comes home.”

“What does that mean?” Spellings said.

Pedro looked a little befuddled.

His mom helped him read through it, and before it totally registered, Sgt. Pedro Masso Sr. walked to the front of the room. With a scream of “Daddy!” his son ran and leaped into his arms.

“This is Pedro’s daddy,” Spellings explained to Pedro’s classmates. “He’s been away a long, long time.”

Stephanie Masso said she and her husband had been planning a memorable homecoming reunion for several months. Plans had to be adjusted as Pedro Masso Sr.’s schedule fluctuated. Finally, they knew a definite date.

“It’s been a lot of last-minute changes,” Stephanie Masso said. “But the school and Ms. Spellings have been so flexible. He had this project due (the timeline) so things just worked out. We wanted to give Pedro something he’d never forget.”

Pedro Masso Sr. had actually returned to Crestview the day before, but Pedro Jr. had spent the night at a buddy’s house. Eager as he was to see his eldest son, Pedro Senior agreed to preserve the surprise he and his wife had planned, and he enjoyed reuniting with Stephanie and their younger children, Alex, 3, and Cecilia, 1.

“Every opportunity he’s had, he’s always asked for my presence,” Pedro Masso Sr. said as Pedro Jr. and his classmates dug into a “welcome home” cookie cake after the joyous reunion. “Finally, I was able to be here and grant him his wish.”

As Pedro Jr. clung to his father’s neck, Walker Principal Jeanine Kirkland presented the sergeant with a balloon bouquet.

“Welcome home, Sergeant,” Kirkland said. “We appreciate everything you do for our country.”

Asked what he planned to do with his dad, Pedro Jr. said, “Play with him and ride our dirt bikes.”

“Being at home now, you take into consideration how important it is to be home and with your family and to spend time with them,” Pedro Sr. said.

As Pedro Jr. would later attest, his dad’s unexpected return was, “awesome!”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Returning soldier surprises son in his classroom

CRESTVIEW — When the Rev. Carl and Wilene Lambert exchanged marriage vows on Sept. 26. 1942, the United States had already been in World War II for nine months. The couple, who had only graduated from high school three months before their wedding, knew their faith would carry them through whatever life threw at them.

Carl Lambert served two years in the military during the war before returning to his college studies and being ordained a Baptist minister. Then he and his young bride set out to serve the Lord.

“When God called, we went,” Wilene said.

It was no surprise. She said she knew that God would always be an integral part of their lives.

“When I first met his parents, his mom said, ‘God has called him to the ministry,’ and I said, ‘I know. Carl’s told me about that,’” she said.

Carl would eventually serve as pastor in five churches in three states over a quarter of a century, including Pilgrim’s Rest Baptist Church in Baker. “That was my longest pastoring in one place,” he said. “That was seven years there.”

Then he became director of missions for regional Baptist churches in Alabama and Florida before retiring in 1988 to the home they had bought in Baker.

Between bites of a sumptuous anniversary party buffet hosted by the First Baptist Church of Crestview Wednesday evening, the Lamberts shared their advice on living contentedly together for seven decades.

May we ask how old you are?

Carl: Would you believe I’m 89 years old?

Wilene: I don’t tell my age so don’t even ask me.

How did you meet?

Carl: It was a little unusual…

Wilene: …I claimed him in sixth grade! Ours were little grade schools in the country. They decided to consolidate our schools. My dad was the school bus driver and he believed in getting there on time. I was one of the new girls.

Carl: She beat me to school that morning…

Wilene: …Well, in comes this little white-headed guy and I said, ‘That’s the guy I’m going to marry.’ We started dating in the 11th grade. It just developed as we went along. We finished school in June 1942 and got married in September.

How did he propose?

Wilene: He was going to give me a ring, but it was just a birthstone ring but everybody thought it was an engagement ring. In the 11th grade! Well, we were on the school bus going home and somebody said, ‘Carl gave Wilene an engagement ring.’

Daddy was driving the bus and he was real protective of his girls, so I said, ‘I don’t know what they’re talking about.’ But later he gave me a real engagement ring.

Do you have children and grandchildren?

Wilene: We had two boys, Carl Junior and Ray Lambert. Carl got cancer and he passed away. It runs in the family. My mama had it and I had it, too.

Carl Junior had two girls and a boy, and our younger son had four boys. Some of those Lamberts believe in boys. Carl’s aunt had boys and we had boys. I tell people I didn’t get a girl until Carl Junior got married.

Did you work, too, Mrs. Lambert?

Wilene: I kept house and raised my boys. I didn’t want to work. But you could call keeping house work, I suppose. Sometimes I worked now and then for Mildred McClellan’s fabric shop in Crestview.

What pastimes do you enjoy?

Carl: Fishing! I like to fish, but she doesn’t let me anymore. I’m a little different than the country pastor in the story. He was sittin’ there on his porch reading his paper and a car pulled up and the driver said, ‘Hey pastor, would you like some of these fish I just caught?’ The pastor said, ‘Are they cleaned?’

Wilene: I don’t fish. I used to when I was a girl. But I would cook them for him (Carl).

What advice would you offer couples for having a nice, long marriage like yours?

Carl: Have a lot of loving and a lot of patience. They work together.

Wilene: And a lot of forgiving and a lot of forgetting. It’s give and take. If you can’t forgive, you can’t take.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Pastor and wife celebrate 70 years

CRESTVIEW — After nearly three hours, the North Okaloosa Fire District Commission decided on Thursday night to table discussion of removing Fire Chief Ed Cutler until next month’s meeting.

The decision came after public input and much discussion among board members during the commission’s monthly meeting at the Bob Sikes airport fire station.

All five commissioners were present at the meeting, along with Cutler and Deputy Chief Danny Worrells. Cutler’s supporters, many employees within the department, filled the room.

Crestview resident and former department commissioner Gene Wright raised the topic of Cutler’s record, mentioning an incident when a firefighter’s gun accidentally discharged in the firehouse.

Sgt. Richard Noiseux of the Okaloosa County airport police, wrote the report and said the firefighter brought a permitted weapon to the station, and was showing it to another staff member when it accidentally went off into a nearby wooded area. Accounts varied on when the accident occurred, but Noiseux estimated it was late summer or early fall in 2011. No one was hurt.

Wright told the board that he didn't believe Cutler covered up the incident. However, he was concerned that Cutler didn't report the incident to the board.

"The commissioners must now realize that Ed has a very different opinion (of) what's important, noteworthy and reportable than they do," Wright said, adding that Cutler should face that decision’s consequences. Wright told Cutler that he "would go into a fire with him," but his error in judgment warranted firing.

 Philip Kent, who said he has been involved with the department for years and has known Cutler, for some time, even before he was chief, defended the fire chief.

"This happened a year ago," he said. "What possible purpose does this serve? If you want to fire Chief Cutler for that, then you do not have my respect. In my opinion, this is bogus."

Several agreed.

Commissioner Sam Anderson was also in favor of keeping Cutler.

"I'm totally and completely opposed to the removal Chief Cutler," Anderson said. "He has done an excellent job."

Anderson — who said the gun-discharge incident wasn’t enough to cost the chief his job — said Cutler received a verbal reprimand incident.

"The thing was that it happened and the chief did not make the board or at least the chairman aware that it had happened," Chairman Franklin Sauls said. "That was disappointing."

Still, Sauls agreed the incident wasn't enough to warrant Cutler’s removal.

That night, Cutler asked the board if he could give a statement, which the board allowed.

"Mr. Chairman, my rights have been infringed upon, have been violated," he said, adding he planned to hire an attorney and sue the board. He then read from a prepared statement. In the statement, Cutler said he had not broken any law and that his rights as a firefighter have been violated. He also accused some of the board members for violating Florida's Sunshine Law, which regulates elected officials’ discussions on issues they will vote on. It aims to prevent private discussions on public matters.

"There is no reason for the charges that have been brought against me in public," Cutler said. "When charges were brought up by one commissioner, with no explanation, and then another commissioner seconds the motion ….  that is very suspicious."

Cutler explained that he thought information illegally was being exchanged outside the board, and expressed that he wanted Sauls to launch an investigation into the matter.

"The board and the firefighters have been at odds," Cutler said. "We need to get back on the same page with the right commissioners to works towards the same goal." 

Both sides agreed that they would work on communication with each other.

"We came to agreement with the chief and the board, 5-0." Commissioner Craig Shaw said. "I think were on the right track."

Although the vote was scheduled for early in the meeting, commissioners held the item until the end of the meeting after seeing the night's attendance.

The meeting covered in-house department business, including volunteer training and updates on fueling and the district's Insurance Service Office rating.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Cutler remains North Okaloosa Fire District chief for now