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Buggs, who has served in the military for nearly three decades, had tried for several years to travel to Stillmore to meet the students in person but said the timing never worked out.

This past weekend he was traveling to Georgia Southern for alumni weekend and decided to make a stop in Stillmore to surprise David Emanuel Academy's senior class, which includes six students from the original kindergarten class.

\"PHOTO:
David Emanuel Academy
PHOTO: Gen. Vincent Buggs poses with members of the senior class at David Emanuel Academy in Stillmore, Georgia.
>

\"I was so surprised that he came back to see us,\" said one of the students, Boslie Boots, 17. \"I did not think I would have such an impact on a person but it was so special to hear about how we’ve helped him over the years.\"

\"I never thought through the years that we’d affected his life as much as we did,\" added Jenna Mosley. \"He said letters from us would turn his day around.\"

The meeting proved unexpectedly emotional for Buggs, who said he wanted to convey to the students the impact they had with their seemingly small acts of kindness.

\"For me it was like everything from that time period when I was deployed came back in an emotional rush, the missions we were going through and them writing me,\" Buggs said. \"I had a surreal moment of remembering the stressful times and how humble and happy I was to get a letter from them.\"

\"PHOTO:
David Emanuel Academy
PHOTO: Gen. Vincent Buggs speaks to members of the senior class at David Emanuel Academy in Stillmore, Georgia.
>

Buggs also spoke to the students about their future plans, encouraging them to say not \"I hope\" but \"I will,\" according to both Boots and Mosley.

Buggs said he hopes that the students, and everyone else, take away a big picture message that they can make an impact in the world, whether it be kindness to deployed soldiers or first responders or teachers or just their next door neighbor.

\"American kindness is I think one of the greatest things we have in our country and it’s not spoken enough of the small things that people do to make a difference in other people’s lives,\" he said. \"Everybody can make an impact and do something positive.\"

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