The fiance of a classmate of mine is a elementary school teacher at Dean Elementary School in Browndeer, WI. My friend came up to me one day after class and asked if his fiance could contact me about a possible project for her 3rd grade class. So I passed my information along and started talking with his fiance. She was looking for some soldiers or a unit that was deployed for her class to write to and send a package to. I thought the idea was very cute and thought it would help teach kids about war/soldiers but also I thought Mark would enjoy hearing from the kiddos.
Mark received a letter from each kid in the class in a package late last week. He has decided to take on writing back to each one of them individually, but also wrote a letter back to the teacher to share with the class. I can't even explain how much Mark was gleaming writing the letter. I could tell he loved hearing from the kids and he even shared with me his favorite comment from one of the kids, "Try to stay undead." I love it- you can always count on kids to tell you how it is. He said it made him laugh and shared it with a couple of other guys he works with and they too laughed. Below is the letter he wrote to the class. Enjoy! Love, Angie
October 24, 2010
Dear Ms. B's class,
Thank you so much for all of your letters! It was so nice to hear from you. My wife told me that the letters were mailed earlier this month and I finally received them yesterday. The country of Afghanistan is pretty far from Wisconsin. I have read through each one and enjoyed them all. I also shared them with some of my soldier friends who also enjoyed learning about your class. I intend to write a letter back to each of you, but it is going to take a while because there are quite a few of you and I have to work some pretty long days. Please understand that I will be writing back to you in no specific order, but in the order that Ms. B had your letters stacked in my envelope. In the mean time, I would like to tell you a little about myself so you aren't left wondering until my letters start arriving. They will be private letters just for you, but if you want to share those letters with each other, that is fine with me.
As you know, my name is Lieutenant Mark. I am 24 years old. I have blue eyes and brown hair. I am 5' 9" tall. You can ask Ms. B how tall she is to get a better idea of how tall I am. I am from just north of you in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. If you haven't been there, it is on Lake Michigan about an hour drive north of Milwaukee. I enjoy running, hiking, dancing, playing baseball and basketball, playing my bassoon (a large woodwind instrument), and spending time with my family. I also like watching the good sports teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Brewers, the Green Bay Packers, and the Wisconsin Badgers. We can take a poll to see who likes my teams and who doesn't.
I would also like to answer a few questions that several people asked. First, there were a lot of questions about bad people in Afghanitsan. I understand this since there are bad people in war. But you should know that most of the Afghan people are very nice. Like most Americans, they are interested in good health, safety, and a promising future for themselves and their children. Second, many of you wanted to know what the temperature is like. Well, it can be pretty hot in Afghanistan, especially in summer. During much of the summer it was over 110 degrees! It is still in the upper 80s and lower 90s, but compared to 110, it really feels great. Third, quite a few of you wanted to know why I joined the Army. I joined the Army for two main reasons. One, I wanted to help keep Americans safe and free for my fellow and future citizens like my Grandpa, and probably some of your relatives too, did for us back in World War II. And two, I wanted to take care of soldiers and make sure that they had good leadership. Finally, some people asked whether it is difficult or hard being in Afghanistan. I will tell you that we have gone through a lot of good training and we are well prepared in the Army. Sometimes there are some long and hard days when you have to work and live outside while wearing a lot of equipment. However, my fellow soldiers that are with me are my friends and we tell jokes to make each other laugh and are there for each other when ever it is needed. One of the best things though is getting to hear from back home in a phone call or letter, like you sent me. That reminds me that what I do is important. It reminds me that even though it is sad to be away from my family for a few months, I can make many American families happy because they can be together and safe.
I know you are all very busy with third grade, but if you have some time, I would love to hear what you are learning and working on in class. Ms. B told me that you were a really good class. Keep up all the hard work. I hope to hear from you soon.
Your Army friend,
LT Mark
