KFC gives surprise reunion and $40k in scholarships to veteran’s two daughters

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GAITHERSBURG, Md. – Teenage twins, Anita and Ashley Lee, thought they were at  Kentucky Fried Chicken in Gaithersburg to box up care packages for their mom’s  unit in Afghanistan. But the care package they cared about most, walked right  in. There was hugging, crying, squealing. Capt. Cherissa Jackson is a single mom who has been in Afghanistan since  June. She says her 17-year-old daughters are “still beautiful as ever.” She has been deployed four times. She has missed homecoming, holidays and  birthdays. Jackson is an ICU nurse who takes care of the wounded. “Anything you can imagine as far as injuries, I’ve seen it, done it, took  care of it,” says Jackson. The girls are fraternal twins, but they share identical GPAs – 3.6. They have  been watched over by friends while their mom is away. “At 16, 17 years old – to have them do the things they did while I was gone  and be responsible young ladies, I couldn’t have asked for more. I’m totally  proud of them,” says Jackson. And that was just surprise number one. Minutes later, someone else walked  through the door of the restaurant. It was out of towners – including Capt.  Jackson’s sisters and her mom and dad. There was more hugging, squealing and  crying. Jackson’s parents have been worried. “Half the time, I didn’t even want to watch TV, especially when they were  talking about something from Afghanistan,” says Pearlie Jackson. Just when they thought they couldn’t handle any more excitement, KFC came  through with a $20,000 college scholarship for each girl. That $40,000 will go a  long way toward paying for college. Read more of this story and watch the video of this veteran’s happy return home at myFOXdc.

 

 

 

   

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