The Statesman Journal reports on elementary school kids in Salem, Oregon, who have written more than 400 letters now being sent to U.S. Marines in Afghanistan. The Marine Corps League Detachment 881 started a program to encourage children to write to troops overseas. As part of the initiative, current and former Marines are visiting area schools to receive the letters and send them overseas. The article chronicles some exchanges between the special visitors and the kids:
"Are you a real U.S. Marine?" third-grader Joey Hang asked [former Marine Corps Commandant Terry] Williams.
"I'm a former Marine officer," he told the little boy.
"Wow," the boy replied.
Third-grader Luis Garcia wanted to know if any soldiers had "died yet?"
[Navy Corpsman Alen] Lemons replied, "Yes."
Speaking of Marines currently fighting in Afghanistan, Lemons also told a class:
"Some of them don't get any mail. So these letters are going to make their day over there because they'll know we haven't forgotten them."
If you have a son or daughter, how about working together with them to write a letter to a servicemember overseas? While I am not a parent, I can't think of a better learning experience for a child.
Image courtesy: Kidz 4 Troops
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