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thedrifter
03-27-09, 08:33 AM
Students help Marine
dads ‘bear’ life in Iraq

Weeksville students
send care packages

By Toby Tate
Staff Writer


Thursday, March 26, 2009


WEEKSVILLE — U.S. Marines stationed in Iraq probably wouldn’t ask for teddy bears, sea shells or yo-yos in their care packages from home. But a group of soldiers that recently received such items couldn’t have been more thrilled.

That’s because the items were sent by a group of Weeksville third-graders, and the idea of receiving such personalized treasures from youngsters have helped the soldiers. Many of whom have families, cope with being so far away from home.

Kate Ekstrom’s husband Don is one such soldier. Don Ekstrom, a gunnery sergeant, is completing a seven-month tour in Iraq. Stationed at an isolated base called Sahl-Sinjar. Ekstrom’s communication with his wife and family back home in Elizabeth City has been pretty much restricted to e-mail and the occasional phone call.

With so little access to what’s going on back home, it’s important for soldiers to know someone is thinking of them, Kate Ekstrom says. That’s why she was thrilled when a class of third-graders at Weeksville Elementary School decided to start a rapport with her husband’s unit in Iraq.

“The kids sent letters back and forth, she said. “The boys wanted to know about the guns and bad people and the girls would talk about girly stuff.”

The Marines in Ekstrom’s unit wrote back, sending each child a personalized letter and a photograph of their unit.

In response, students decided to put together care packages to send to the soldiers.

“We told (the kids) they could put anything a soldier might need and they put in their teddy bears, sea shells, yo-yos, candy and stuff adults wouldn’t think of,” says Andrea Mace, a teaching assistant at the school.

The third-graders’ teacher, Georgia Perry, said communicating with the soldiers has been a life-changing experience for the kids. The bulletin board outside their classroom has been filled with letters from the kids attached to the return letters they’ve received from the Marines. Each child received two letters, Perry said.

“The fact that the (Marines) responded back made it even more real for (the kids) as far as what those guys are doing over there,” she said “(The kids) are not just reading it out of a textbook. This puts it into perspective.”

Perry’s 9-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, who is in her class, says the Marines are in Iraq to save people from getting hurt.

“(The soldiers) can learn from us and we can learn from them,” she said. “We can learn about what they do in the Marines.”

Kara Yost, 9, said she believes what the soldiers do is very important.

“They are over there to protect the world and we should write to them,” she said.

Jake Jennings, 9, believes the Marines are in Iraq to help the U.S. win the war.

“It’s important to send them stuff so they can be happy and cheerful,” he said.

Nine-year-old Maggie Coty told the soldiers her dad flies helicopters for the Coast Guard, and wasn’t bashful about showing her patriotism in the letter she wrote.

“I am proud of the U.S. and I love the American flag,” her letter said.

Maggie put in her care package a stuffed monkey and bananas — two of her favorite things — as well as something to keep the troops warm.

“It’s cold there and we sent them hot chocolate,” she said. “They work so hard.”

Mace said different classes at the school have been writing letters for the past three years to soldiers stationed in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I have pictures and the bulletin board still up,” she said. “I have last year’s poster which every soldier signed and personalized for the kids. Last year my father-in-law was in Iraq and kids sent them a flag that they flew in Iraq.”

Don Ekstrom and the soldiers of his unit plan to repay the students’ concern by paying their class a visit when they return in April, Mace said.

She said writing to the troops has done more than just teach kids about letter-writing, it’s shown them that what they do can have impact on others in the world.

“If you’re going to teach kids to write letters, then why not write real letters that show how they can reach out and impact people across the world?” Mace said.

Ellie