ASHLAND, Mo. - As Mike Lederle strolled slowly into the Southern Boone High School gymnasium Wednesday afternoon, no one was more surprised to see him than his 14-year-old son, Trinten.
No one except for possibly Trinten's 16-year-old sister, Samantha.
The visit was meant to be a surprise for the two teens, who fully expected their father - a Missouri National Guard sergeant major - to serve a year-long tour, his second, in Afghanistan. Instead Lederle, normally a Columbia police officer, gratefully returned home six months ahead of schedule and ....