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P.S. Are all soldiers this strong?

Oct- 7-2004 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT

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DEBBY ABE THE NEWS TRIBUNE

Sgt. Ian Bernard knows his new pen pal, third-grader Daniel Damian, has a 5-month-old puppy named Buster.

Lt. Kyle Pennington and third-grader Sang Lam know they both like to play the video game Full Spectrum Warrior.

Third-grader Fernando Velazquez knows Spc. Edgar Rosales’ favorite movie is “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Rosales knows Fernando likes the “Pokémon” movies.

After spending Wednesday morning chatting, playing and sitting together in class, soldiers in Delta Company 52nd Infantry and second- and third-graders at Boze Elementary School in Tacoma now have plenty to write about.

The students and Fort Lewis soldiers will be pen pals once the Delta Company departs for Iraq later this month.

The company is part of the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division – the Army’s second Stryker brigade – which is deploying for a yearlong tour in the country.

Boze teacher aide Bev McDonald and her son-in-law Sgt. Steven English, who’s in the company, arranged the letter-writing project.

“I thought it would be fun for the kids to write pen-pal letters,” McDonald said. “It would give the soldiers something to look forward to.”

And while the soldiers are in Iraq, English said, “It helps us to interact with society here, especially … knowing the kids do care about us.”

Over the school year, McDonald will collect the student letters and care packages and mail them to the 53 soldiers.


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