Published: November 27, 2009 12:12 pm      

Students make holiday cards for troops

DANVILLE — Serving in the military is difficult enough. Doing it overseas, even tougher.

This holiday season, several hundred elementary students here are doing their part to make that adversity a little easier.

Pupils at North and South elementaries handmade more than 500 cards to be delivered to U.S. troops currently stationed abroad. Becky Porter, a Danville resident, organized the initiative. She coordinated the same project last year at these schools and in Plainfield’s elementary schools the year before.

“Thank you so much for doing this,” Porter said to participating North students during a recent gathering in the school’s cafeteria. “This is amazing that you guys do this. I’m going to take all these cards and letters home with me and send them overseas so that they all get over there in time for Christmas. They’re going to go to all our troops serving overseas — all the people who are away from their friends and families during the holidays. They really, really appreciate it.”

Army Sgt. Dustin Rutledge, who has served in Afghanistan and currently is a recruiter in Avon, was invited to both schools to thank the students and answer questions they may have about the military.

“I just wanted to come here personally on behalf of all the other troops that couldn’t be here and thank you guys for taking the time to let everyone know you’re thinking of them during the holidays,” Rutledge said. “We really do appreciate it. All the soldiers overseas love hearing from people, and for you guys to take the time (to do this) really means a lot.”

The children asked Rutledge questions like what gun he uses, what’s it like in the dessert, and how you survive in the military. North Elementary Principal Kathryn Raasch said such an encounter really drives the lesson home for students.

“It’s always good for them to put a face with what they’re doing,” she said.

She noted the school’s recent Veterans Day program featured younger soldiers speaking with the students. Raasch said it really heightened the children’s interest in our armed forces.

“I think they related well to that,” she said. “Now they have interest in all this. And we have so many families involved (in the military).”

Indeed, during the question-and-answer session, students were asked to raise their hands if they knew someone in the military. More than half of them did.



wade.coggeshall@flyergroup.com