Soldier from Modesto pulls off surprise at brother’s Beyer graduation

Alexandrea Green ducked behind the stranger in front of her every time she thought she saw her brother Jay look in her direction from the football field at Modesto Junior College.

“Did he see me?” she asked. Her dad, Janiero Green, playfully pinched her arm and she swatted back at him, giggling. “Dad, stop; he’s going to see me.”

Jay Green thought Alexandrea wouldn’t make it to his graduation from Beyer High School on Wednesday evening. An air traffic control specialist in the Army stationed in Kentucky, Alexandrea is preparing for deployment to Afghanistan in a few months.

While Alexandrea is five years older than Jay, she said their bond is like that of twins.

She told her chain of command how important it was that she be there for her brother and about all his accomplishments as a star running back on the varsity football team. Jay Green was named MVP of the Modesto Metro Conference in December, a few months after setting a school record for career rushing yards.

“He is the most amazing person that I know; he is probably the most humble … .” Alexandrea took a deep breath and held back tears. “I am so proud of him. He inspires me.”

Alexandrea arrived in Modesto just hours before the graduation with her fiancé, a noncommissioned officer in her company.

Her mom, Cristina Green, had been preparing for their arrival by cleaning the entire house, something she always does when her daughter is coming home for a visit.

So as not to arouse Jay’s suspicion, she told him his grandmother from Sacramento would be staying with them.

“My son is very intuitive,” Cristina Green said. “I have to work hard at not letting on.”

Despite the family’s bubbling excitement, Jay was none the wiser.

After the ceremony, Alexandrea Green hid behind her dad’s 5-foot-11 frame as they made their way onto the football field, where Jay will play next year as a freshman at Modesto Junior College.

While getting a bear hug from his dad, Jay’s eyes widened as he looked over his dad’s shoulder and saw Alexandrea.

They embraced and her feet left the ground as Jay pulled her into his arms.

Jay played it cool with a joke at first: “I came to her graduation so she better come to mine.”

But with a big smile, he said her presence meant everything to him. “She’s always been there for me.”

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Soldier from Modesto pulls off surprise at brother’s Beyer graduation."