Students write cards to thank veterans
Eileen Travis, for five years a fifth-grade teacher at Blosser Lane Elementary School-Willits, recently assigned her class to write “thank you cards” to veterans in honor of Veterans Day. She has been a volunteer — along with her family — at the monthly VFW Post 1900 breakfasts for over three years.
“I’ve done a project like this before but not this way. Since involved with VFW, I’ve gotten to know more veterans and learned what they’ve gone through and given to our country. I wanted kids to understand that and know how to give back to the community.”
She introduced the project, telling students about the monthly VFW breakfasts and what her family and other volunteers have done for the veterans. She asked students, “Do any of you know a veteran? Do you know the history of Veterans Day?” Then asked them to write a thank you letter to veterans.
“I shared with my students that some of the things I would say in my thank you letter to veterans is, ‘thank you for all your sacrifice and hard work and continuing to give back to our community.’
“Some of these veterans are WWII veterans, members of Post 1900, but unable to attend many of the events. My Dad (Joel Greenfield) is a Navy veteran from the Vietnam era.”
One thank you note said, “Dear veteran: Thank you for serving. You are so brave I’ve always loved the Army and sometimes I wish to be in the Army to save the country, just like you. Don’t forget, you make a big difference in our community…”
Travis taught five years in area elementary schools. Her favorite part of teaching? “Making a difference! When they go ‘A-ha! I get it!’ — helping students to understand, when the light bulb in their mind turns on, is deeply gratifying,” she explained.
Gerry Burney, Air Force retired, and for 16 years serving as Chaplain at the County jail, reflected on how he came to that position and how helping incarcerated veterans brings special satisfaction.
“When I first started at the jail,” explained Burney, “there were suicides every other month — seven in a row! However, in the time I’ve been there, stopping at every cell to talk to each inmate, establishing a relationship with him or her, there have only been two suicides by inmates, and two by deputies. My presence there seems to lesson tension n the inmates. I give them magazines, calendars, books, my Virtual Chapel Bible study. They recognize that I’m just like they are. Before I came to Jesus at age 40, I’d been divorced (more than once) and certainly had some experiences I’m not proud of — so they see in me someone more like them, not a ‘been in church all my life’ pastor. That’s the way God works; He takes the unqualified and makes them qualified, through Him.”