thedrifter
05-18-07, 07:11 AM
Lodi Elementary students get a visit -- and thanks -- from private they wrote while he was in training
By CASSANDRA SHOFAR
Staff Writer
LODI — After a tiring day of intense boot camp training, Pfc. Ken Chiesa returned to his bed to find a large envelope from Lodi Primary Elementary School.
Baffled, Chiesa opened it and felt all the day's tension melt away as he read several letters from students in Lodi's Literacy Club, an after-school program aimed to help first- and second-graders with writing skills.
"It was a hard time and at nighttime, I'd go through all of them and see your stick figures … that cheered me up a little bit," said Chiesa with a smile, during a visit with the students Wednesday afternoon.
"I want to thank you for all your letters."
Chiesa, a former Lodi resident, completed boot camp for the U.S. Marine Corps on May 11 in South Carolina and has been pen pals with the literacy club throughout his training.
The correspondence was inspired by a Letter to the Editor in The Gazette on March 8 from a man who helped guide Chiesa away from a delinquent path and into the direction of opportunity.
Medina resident Richard Repasky, a U.S. Navy veteran, lived across the street from Chiesa's aunt when the private lived with her for a short while.
Chiesa said at the time, he was constantly getting into trouble with the law and had a bad attitude. Repasky hired him to do some yard work and told him stories about his time in Vietnam and on other assignments.
Chiesa soon became interested in the idea of joining the military, but kept gravitating back to his old ways. However, with encouragement from Repasky, Chiesa eventually joined the Marines.
Repasky's letter asked community members to join in the encouragement and send Chiesa a card or letter of appreciation and best wishes. It inspired several letters from the community to Chiesa, who was unaware of Repasky's efforts.
Bob Wooley, a reading intervention teacher at Lodi Primary, was one community member who decided to get his Literacy Club involved.
"Not only does it help them with their writing skills, but it helps them understand what's going on in the world, Wooley said about the pen pal correspondence.
During Chiesa's visit, he stood in his crisp, tan uniform and described what his training and strict time schedule was like to the awestruck kids seeing the recipient of their letters for the first time.
"You're writing to someone who has actually been through this (training)," said 7-year-old Annaliese Nunes. "That's cool to hear from someone doing that."
The military not only opened doors of opportunity for Chiesa, but boot camp also taught him life lessons he said he will never forget.
"I learned about respect and teamwork … you respect your higher rank and you respect your elders," he said. "Everything you have to do has to be as a team. You have to learn to trust each other. That was probably the biggest challenge for me — being able to trust the people next to me."
Next week, Chiesa is headed to North Carolina for more intense infantry training, but Wooley assured him the Literacy Club would continue writing to him.
"They definitely helped me through tough times," Chiesa said. "They inspire me."
Shofar may be reached at 330-721-4044 or cshofar@ohio.net.
Ellie
By CASSANDRA SHOFAR
Staff Writer
LODI — After a tiring day of intense boot camp training, Pfc. Ken Chiesa returned to his bed to find a large envelope from Lodi Primary Elementary School.
Baffled, Chiesa opened it and felt all the day's tension melt away as he read several letters from students in Lodi's Literacy Club, an after-school program aimed to help first- and second-graders with writing skills.
"It was a hard time and at nighttime, I'd go through all of them and see your stick figures … that cheered me up a little bit," said Chiesa with a smile, during a visit with the students Wednesday afternoon.
"I want to thank you for all your letters."
Chiesa, a former Lodi resident, completed boot camp for the U.S. Marine Corps on May 11 in South Carolina and has been pen pals with the literacy club throughout his training.
The correspondence was inspired by a Letter to the Editor in The Gazette on March 8 from a man who helped guide Chiesa away from a delinquent path and into the direction of opportunity.
Medina resident Richard Repasky, a U.S. Navy veteran, lived across the street from Chiesa's aunt when the private lived with her for a short while.
Chiesa said at the time, he was constantly getting into trouble with the law and had a bad attitude. Repasky hired him to do some yard work and told him stories about his time in Vietnam and on other assignments.
Chiesa soon became interested in the idea of joining the military, but kept gravitating back to his old ways. However, with encouragement from Repasky, Chiesa eventually joined the Marines.
Repasky's letter asked community members to join in the encouragement and send Chiesa a card or letter of appreciation and best wishes. It inspired several letters from the community to Chiesa, who was unaware of Repasky's efforts.
Bob Wooley, a reading intervention teacher at Lodi Primary, was one community member who decided to get his Literacy Club involved.
"Not only does it help them with their writing skills, but it helps them understand what's going on in the world, Wooley said about the pen pal correspondence.
During Chiesa's visit, he stood in his crisp, tan uniform and described what his training and strict time schedule was like to the awestruck kids seeing the recipient of their letters for the first time.
"You're writing to someone who has actually been through this (training)," said 7-year-old Annaliese Nunes. "That's cool to hear from someone doing that."
The military not only opened doors of opportunity for Chiesa, but boot camp also taught him life lessons he said he will never forget.
"I learned about respect and teamwork … you respect your higher rank and you respect your elders," he said. "Everything you have to do has to be as a team. You have to learn to trust each other. That was probably the biggest challenge for me — being able to trust the people next to me."
Next week, Chiesa is headed to North Carolina for more intense infantry training, but Wooley assured him the Literacy Club would continue writing to him.
"They definitely helped me through tough times," Chiesa said. "They inspire me."
Shofar may be reached at 330-721-4044 or cshofar@ohio.net.
Ellie