WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (MARCH 19, 2013) — What began as a lesson in letter writing ended this month with a gift from C-CO 1-109th Infantry in Camp Virginia, Kuwait.
After writing 1st Lieutenant Chad Gray and his battalion, Erin Hamilton's third-grade class at Cochran Elementary School received an encased American flag, which was recently flown in the third-grade class's honor in Kuwait after their correspondence. In addition, the class received a certificate of authenticity for the flag and a framed, signed certificate from the battalion.
Mr. Gray is the husband of Jennifer Gray, a teacher's aide at Cochran, who was instrumental in coordinating the communication between the class and her husband's battalion overseas. Gray has been stationed in Kuwait since November.
The students shared their thoughts about their gift and the experience of writing members of the armed forces. Below is a sampling of some of their comments:
"Well, first, them having time to write to us is just so nice. It made me happy and made me feel like I was doing something right. Then, when they sent that gift, it was amazing. I love what they did for us." — Marina Schappell
"Thank you, soldiers, for saving my state. The United States of America is proud of you helping us." — Malik Lee
"I have had a great experience communicating with soldiers! It's so cool that you can communicate with someone that's a million miles away and not doing it by email." — Tevita Kalamafoni
"I feel happy. I think that seeing all of those signatures was amazing. If there was a time capsule of my life, I would want to put something in it to remember this day." — Makayla Hamm
