Stephanie Hearn wanted to welcome her boyfriend home from service in Iraq. And so did her 22 kids.

The 24-year-old first-grade teacher at San Antonio's Scobee Elementary flew to Washington, D.C., last week, where she greeted her boyfriend, Senior Airman Gregory Cross. She brought with her welcome home cards, drawn by all of the students in her class.

According to Ms. Hearn, he loved the cards, and thought they were "so cute."

The kids enjoyed the project, and thought it was especially nice to be able to welcome Ms. Hearn's boyfriend back.

"I wrote 'Welcome home, Greg,' and then at the bottom, I wrote one of my jokes," said first grader Eric Anthony, who said he also drew an eagle, "because an eagle stands for America, and the military saves America."

Now, heading from one extreme to another, Senior Airman Cross is preparing to head to Alaska for further service.