Nov. 14, 2015 is a day that Capt. Tim Bailey said he will never forget.

The Glen Allan native—who just completed his second deployment in Kuwait—surprised his wife Shaquetta, 10-year-old daughter Mia, five-year-old daughter Kristen and other family members and friends with a homecoming reunion during the MSU-Alabama football game at Davis Wade Stadium.

“I’m very big on family. To always look forward to that every year or on certain holidays is a good feeling,” said Bailey, who serves in the Mississippi Army National Guard’s 185th Theater Aviation Brigade. A recruiting operations officer for MSU’s Army ROTC program, he previously was deployed to Iraq in 2005.

After returning from his first deployment, Bailey completed his associate’s degree at Mississippi Delta Community College. Soon after, he was offered a football scholarship to MSU, where he played defensive end from 2006-08.

“I still remember being in the locker room, getting taped up, listening to music, getting ready for games,” he said. Bailey holds a bachelor’s in sociology and master’s in physical education from the state’s leading university, an institution that he said has “done a lot for me.”

“I’ve missed this place so much,” he said with a smile. “I’m just truly blessed to be working at my alma mater—a beautiful campus in a good, small college town. I love the atmosphere here.”

In addition to the Bulldogs, Bailey enjoys watching the Dallas Cowboys and Fox’s drama series, “Empire.” Exercising also is among his favorite pastimes, he said.

Surrounding himself with good people, treating others with respect and working hard to excel are important skills that Bailey said he values and hopes to impart on his children.

“I always had strong parents, and I want to continue trying to be a better person, better father and better husband,” he emphasized. “I want my girls to understand that two things you control in life are attitude and effort. Even if you don’t know the answers, you must always try hard.”