ANDOVER – Wednesday wasn’t a cheery, fun, normal day at school for 7-year-old Zachary Morton.

At 12:15 p.m., Morton, an Andover Elementary School first-grader, stood forlornly in the gym staring at physical education teacher David Hinckley.

The day was also rather difficult for Hinckley. Sixty-four of Morton’s schoolmates gave their beloved gym teacher of five months an emotional send-off on his last day as their instructor.

On Valentine’s Day, Hinckley, a major in the Army Reserves, was called back to active duty for a Homeland Security action: Operation Noble Eagle.

The youngsters and staff dedicated the day to Hinckley – wearing red, white and blue clothing, and stamping a patriotic red bald eagle and a blue American flag on their cheeks.

The whole school also had lunch with Hinckley, gave him homemade cards as he went from table to table talking with the children, then surrounded him outside for a group photo. A rousing set of hip-hip-hoorays were followed by pint-sized hugs that left Hinckley teary-eyed, overcome with emotion.

Since he was hired in October as the gym teacher for SAD 44’s Andover and Woodstock elementary schools, Hinckley, 39, has commuted two days a week from his home in Portland.

Prior to that, the 5-foot 3-inch man has owned and operated Park’s Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts College on Main Street in South Portland since 1976 – the year he left active duty for the first time.

Hinckley, a medical plans and operations officer with the 9th Theater Army Command, which is stationed in Japan, was initially told to head to Virginia to Fort Belvoir, which is a strategic sustaining base for America’s Army.

Then Hinckley, who was born in Connecticut on a naval base and raised in New Hampshire, received new orders to go to Japan.

“Up until yesterday, I thought I was heading to Japan, but headquarters confirmed my orders, saying I would be staying at Belvoir for a year,” he said.

Hinckley, who has a 15-year career in the Army, was looking forward to a lengthy tenure teaching physical education to Andover and Woodstock students.

“I was getting my life all put together then. My business is running well – it’s stronger than it has been – and I love to teach. That’s why I do Tae Kwon Do and physical education,” he said.

Hinckley, a 4th-degree master, said he has been doing Tae Kwon Do since 1979.

“I love teaching physical education and Tae Kwon Do, because you get to be a kid and you get to have a positive effect on kids’ lives. My gym teacher was my hero. He represented a lot of good things, and that’s what I like to do,” Hinckley said.

He had even hoped to teach martial arts to SAD 44 students.

“The kids were really looking forward to learning martial arts,” said Andover School’s head teacher Roger Sabin. “Hopefully, that will come back when his tour is over.”

Hinckley hoped so, too.

“Life was good. Now, it’s still good, but it’s just going to change,” Hinckley added.

He leaves Maine on March 5, saying goodbye-for-now to his wife of 12 years – Jinsook – and two sons: Aaron, 10, a fourth-grader, and Kavaghn, 9, a third-grader.

He’s also leaving behind his business, which his wife and its Tae Kwon Do students will operate in his absence, and 80 martial arts students.

And then there’s the 219 SAD 44 students and Morton.

“He’s the best gym teacher I ever had and I’m really going to miss him,” the first-grader said.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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