The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Students thank veterans
Elementary school students write letters as part of Project Patriot
First-grade students recently told their teacher Dan Bierek why they appreciate soldiers and sailors in the United States Armed Services.
“They help us by beating up the bad country,” said 7-year-old Jeremy Gonzalez. “When I grow up I want to be a soldier. My grandpa was a soldier.”
On May 25, Bierek’s 24 students wrote personal thank-you notes at Toni Morrison Elementary School in Lorain as part of Project Patriot.
In the life of a soldier deployed overseas, a letter from home can makes all the difference. So, Lorain Schools Assistant Superintendent Stephen Sturgill partnered with Mary Jane Burger who is regent of the Nathan Perry Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution.
The mission is to send a
“...It’s a good opportunity for them to reflect on those who served and to say, ‘Thank you.’ ”
— Lorain Schools Assistant Superintendent Stephen Sturgill
personal letter to arrive before July 4 to each of 6,000 service members aboard the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier off the coast of Syria.
“That’s a lot of letters,” Burger said. “I said to Dr. Sturgill, ‘You know, it’s the end of the school year. Do you think there are any teachers who might have some students who would want to write letters to service members?’ He said they would. And the district is doing this district wide.”
About 6,000 students from kindergarten through seniors are participating, said Sturgill, who deployed twice overseas during his more than 23 years of service in the Ohio Army National Guard.
He served as company commander in 2012 in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, and in 2009 in Iraq as a platoon leader and executive officer during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Stateside, he deployed for homeland security in 2003 as a squad leader during Operation Noble Eagle, he said.
“There’s nothing more satisfying than getting a letter from a student when you’re deployed,” said Sturgill. “Sometimes you feel like you’re alone when you’re deployed, and nobody is thinking about you. You get a letter from students and it brightens your day.”
Sometimes the situations can become intense for soldiers and sailors.
“I would say it’s scary,” Sturgill said. “There’s always a sense of fear of the unknown. It’s lonely and you get to know the people who are deployed with you. There’s a certain bond. You get to bond with a great group of people.
“I say it’s “Groundhog Day” every day,” Sturgill said. “It’s the same thing every day when you’re on a military base.”
Burger said the Ohio Daughters of the American Revolution adopted the aircraft carrier. They send care packages each month containing items from a wish list.
The ship is stationed off the coast of Syria, she said.
“When I say active, they are truly almost frighteningly active,” Burger said, noting the letters will provide links to home.
“I think this makes (military duty) a little more real to the children,” she said. “I think since they are writing to a person, that makes it more real and they have a better understanding of what it’s like to be separated from their families. And they develop more appreciation for our service members.”
Other schools sending letters include St. Peter School in Lorain and some in Vermilion, she said. Citizens may send letters to her by June 1 in order to be sent along with this group of letters. For information email Burger at mjburger2@yahoo.com.
“Another project aboard the ship we participate in is Military Project Literacy,” she said.
The DAV collects children’s books and sends the books to the aircraft carrier. Someone videotapes a service member reading a book out loud. The video and book are then sent to the service member’s child, she said.
Sturgill expects by next week to collect a huge pile of letters for Project Patriot.
“Because it’s so massive, the teachers will work with students, the principals will collect the letters and send them back to me,” Sturgill said. “It’s a good opportunity for the students to write. It’s a good opportunity for them to reflect on those who served and to say, ‘Thank you.’ ”
In Bierek’s classroom, first-grader Liliana Haller knew what she wanted to write: “Dear Sailor, Thank you for kepping (sic) the water safe and takeing the time for training. Your friend, Liliana H.”