For a small town, it was a big celebration. After a six-month tour in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Specialist Daniel MacFall recently returned to his home in Stewart Manor, as hundreds of friends and neighbors gathered along the tree-lined streets of the tight-knit community to celebrate his safe return.
“We were excited and relieved to hear that Danny’s tour in Afghanistan was ending and he would be coming home,” said MacFall’s mother, Nancy. “We immediately started making plans for a surprise party, not knowing the incredible surprise the Stewart Manor Fire Department would be doing for Danny.”
Indeed, once Stewart Manor Fire Chief Tom Skinner got word that MacFall was coming home, he immediately got to work. From contacting the Port Authority to gain clearance for the MacFall family to meet Specialist MacFall at the arrival gate in JFK Airport, to arranging a motorcycle escort from the airport, to reaching out to dozens of local volunteer fire departments to adorn Covert Avenue, Chester Avenue and Carlton Terrace with fire apparatus, Skinner left no stone unturned.
“Sometimes it’s just about doing the right thing,” Skinner said. “This young man and his family are willing to sacrifice it all for their country. I am so proud of Daniel and our residents, volunteer fire service, Red Knights and Nassau County Fire Riders who came out to honor our hometown hero. It was a welcoming every one of our servicemen and women deserve. I am honored and consider it a privilege to have been a part of it.”
The 26-year-old Specialist will be home for a few weeks before returning to Fort Polk, LA, and looks forward to family time as well as some well-deserved relaxation.
“I plan to relax and spend time with my family. I want to catch up on time missed with my brothers,” he said, referring to 16-year-old Ryan, 14-year-old Justin, and 11-year-old Jack.
“My girlfriend [Kaycee Crawford] and I are going to Disney World, as well. I am mostly looking forward to spending my time with my family and friends who I haven’t seen in a while.”
MacFall enlisted in October 2013 and left for basic training a month later. He went to Fort Benning, GA, for his Infantry training. Immediately following basic training, he spent a year in South Korea, after which he was stationed at Fort Polk, from where he was deployed to Afghanistan.
While deployed, MacFall was able to communicate with his family, mostly via telephone, as Internet connection was limited.
“Due to security reasons, there was not much I could tell them about what was happening in Afghanistan,” he said. “They were able to update me on what was happening back at home, which was really important to me.”
Of course, hearing that MacFall was going to deployed was unsettling news for his family.
“While we knew he had signed up knowing full well that he could be sent to the Middle East, it was frightening for us to think it was really happening,” said MacFall’s father, Tim.
“Sometimes when there was an unusually large gap between phone calls, we would know he was probably out on patrol which made us even more uneasy.”
While MacFall is home in Stewart Manor, his family will make the most of their time together, packing in as many family activities and get-togethers as they can.
“Having Danny home again has been a lot of fun,” said mom Nancy. “When he is here, the family feels complete.”
