thedrifter
06-04-07, 07:20 AM
Family meets school that adopted fallen Marine
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 3, 2007 17:16:04 EDT
LINCOLN, Neb. — The family of a Marine who was killed in Iraq in November spent its first Memorial Day without him at a North Carolina elementary school, with students who penned letters to the soldier just before he died.
Lance. Cpl. Michael Scholl was the first service member “adopted” by a school as part of the Adopt a U.S. Soldier program to die, program founder Ann Johnson said.
The school found out about Scholl’s death after sending him a Super Bowl care package. The 21-year-old Scholl had requested food, chips and salsa.
After the school sent the package, it received a letter that Scholl died from wounds he sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province.
But instead of simply grieving, The PTA mom who urged the school’s third- and fourth-grade classes to adopt Scholl found an e-mail for his stepmother, and sent her a note to find out where Scholl was from and what kind of man he was.
“I didn’t really expect a whole lot back from her since it was such a tremendous loss,” said Angela Huggins of Charlotte, N.C.
But Scholl’s stepmother opened up to Huggins and the two began to write frequently, resulting in Huggins inviting the Scholls to the school for Memorial Day.
Not knowing what to expect, the family took the invitation and went to Charlotte.
The students who never got replies to their letters held a memorial service, planted a tree and had a rock engraved in honor of the dead Marine. They also recited poems and had a moment of silence for Scholl.
“It was overwhelming, much more than I had ever anticipated,” said Scholl’s father, Steven Scholl, after returning from the trip. “I had a hard time believing there was so much love.”
Huggins said she thought the experience affected the kids in a deep way.
“We take care of our own,” said Huggins, whose husband is a retired Marine. “It didn’t matter that we didn’t know them — we were connected by the Marine Corps.”
Ellie
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 3, 2007 17:16:04 EDT
LINCOLN, Neb. — The family of a Marine who was killed in Iraq in November spent its first Memorial Day without him at a North Carolina elementary school, with students who penned letters to the soldier just before he died.
Lance. Cpl. Michael Scholl was the first service member “adopted” by a school as part of the Adopt a U.S. Soldier program to die, program founder Ann Johnson said.
The school found out about Scholl’s death after sending him a Super Bowl care package. The 21-year-old Scholl had requested food, chips and salsa.
After the school sent the package, it received a letter that Scholl died from wounds he sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province.
But instead of simply grieving, The PTA mom who urged the school’s third- and fourth-grade classes to adopt Scholl found an e-mail for his stepmother, and sent her a note to find out where Scholl was from and what kind of man he was.
“I didn’t really expect a whole lot back from her since it was such a tremendous loss,” said Angela Huggins of Charlotte, N.C.
But Scholl’s stepmother opened up to Huggins and the two began to write frequently, resulting in Huggins inviting the Scholls to the school for Memorial Day.
Not knowing what to expect, the family took the invitation and went to Charlotte.
The students who never got replies to their letters held a memorial service, planted a tree and had a rock engraved in honor of the dead Marine. They also recited poems and had a moment of silence for Scholl.
“It was overwhelming, much more than I had ever anticipated,” said Scholl’s father, Steven Scholl, after returning from the trip. “I had a hard time believing there was so much love.”
Huggins said she thought the experience affected the kids in a deep way.
“We take care of our own,” said Huggins, whose husband is a retired Marine. “It didn’t matter that we didn’t know them — we were connected by the Marine Corps.”
Ellie