thedrifter
12-05-06, 11:26 AM
Kids write letters in support of troops
By KENDRA GENTRY
Bucks County Courier Times
On a sheet of notebook paper, Vlad Karchevsky, 13, expressed Thursday how much he appreciated someone he never met.
“I can't imagine how it must be to be without your family on the holidays,” he wrote to Lance Cpl. Angela Trimmer, who is stationed in Iraq.
“You don't know how much it means to us Americans what you are doing,'' he wrote.
Vlad is one of 150 Newtown Middle School eighth-graders who personalized letters to 69 Marines. Whether it was on a computer or by hand, the messages were of holiday cheer and patriotism.
Dan Schlesinger, 14, said he wanted to know as much as possible about life in Iraq. He typed several questions to Lance Cpl. Garen Luckey Jr., asking about a typical day in that war-torn country.
Dan, who also created a maze with twisting turns for Luckey to complete, hopes the Marine will write back.
While other students drew pictures of Christmas trees and American flags, 13-year-old Dillon Zarzycki inserted photos of his two favorite hobbies, skimboarding and fishing, in his letter to Hospital Corpsman John Reed. Skimboarding is similar to surfing where people ride boards in shallow water.
Joe Fabrizio, a social studies teacher and retired Marine, initiated the correspondence between the students and the men and women of the Third Battalion, 11th Regiment from Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Fabrizio said the troops, under commanding officer Lt. Col. Mike Forrey, are operating in the Sunni Triangle of Iraq and doing mostly convoy security.
Language teacher Terry Kluck watched as her students concentrated on what to write. She said about 20 students received response letters after last year's project.
“It brings back the old art of letter writing,” Kluck said.
Fabrizio said that although the letters are not graded, he will look over them before mailing them out this week to make sure they are appropriate.
In preparation for writing the letters, students on Nov. 27 were shown a slideshow presentation with pictures of the battalion overseas. Students also had the chance to sample the same ready-to-eat meals troops eat while deployed.
Jon Dobisch, 14, was a fan of the salsa chicken he tasted. He said that if he could, he would eat it every day.
On the other hand, 13-year-old Lauren Conway said her Mexican rice might have been better if it would have been warmed in a microwave.
“Considering the condition of war, I guess that the food is good for troops, but for suburban kids — maybe it's not,” she said with a chuckle.
FYI
To learn more about writing letters to troops, visit the U.S. Department of Defense Web site at www.americasupportsyou.mil
Kendra Gentry can be reached at 215-949-4206 or kgentry@phillyBurbs.com.
Ellie
By KENDRA GENTRY
Bucks County Courier Times
On a sheet of notebook paper, Vlad Karchevsky, 13, expressed Thursday how much he appreciated someone he never met.
“I can't imagine how it must be to be without your family on the holidays,” he wrote to Lance Cpl. Angela Trimmer, who is stationed in Iraq.
“You don't know how much it means to us Americans what you are doing,'' he wrote.
Vlad is one of 150 Newtown Middle School eighth-graders who personalized letters to 69 Marines. Whether it was on a computer or by hand, the messages were of holiday cheer and patriotism.
Dan Schlesinger, 14, said he wanted to know as much as possible about life in Iraq. He typed several questions to Lance Cpl. Garen Luckey Jr., asking about a typical day in that war-torn country.
Dan, who also created a maze with twisting turns for Luckey to complete, hopes the Marine will write back.
While other students drew pictures of Christmas trees and American flags, 13-year-old Dillon Zarzycki inserted photos of his two favorite hobbies, skimboarding and fishing, in his letter to Hospital Corpsman John Reed. Skimboarding is similar to surfing where people ride boards in shallow water.
Joe Fabrizio, a social studies teacher and retired Marine, initiated the correspondence between the students and the men and women of the Third Battalion, 11th Regiment from Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Fabrizio said the troops, under commanding officer Lt. Col. Mike Forrey, are operating in the Sunni Triangle of Iraq and doing mostly convoy security.
Language teacher Terry Kluck watched as her students concentrated on what to write. She said about 20 students received response letters after last year's project.
“It brings back the old art of letter writing,” Kluck said.
Fabrizio said that although the letters are not graded, he will look over them before mailing them out this week to make sure they are appropriate.
In preparation for writing the letters, students on Nov. 27 were shown a slideshow presentation with pictures of the battalion overseas. Students also had the chance to sample the same ready-to-eat meals troops eat while deployed.
Jon Dobisch, 14, was a fan of the salsa chicken he tasted. He said that if he could, he would eat it every day.
On the other hand, 13-year-old Lauren Conway said her Mexican rice might have been better if it would have been warmed in a microwave.
“Considering the condition of war, I guess that the food is good for troops, but for suburban kids — maybe it's not,” she said with a chuckle.
FYI
To learn more about writing letters to troops, visit the U.S. Department of Defense Web site at www.americasupportsyou.mil
Kendra Gentry can be reached at 215-949-4206 or kgentry@phillyBurbs.com.
Ellie