Guiding lights

There were days when the stinging sand permeated uniforms to the skin.

There were frightened tears as Scud missile alarms sounded and soldiers scrambled for protective gear.

There were times when even the comforting lyrics of "Amazing Grace" weren't enough to ease the pain and loneliness.

But always, there were the letters to look forward to.

After a six-month stay in Iraq and Kuwait, the 106th Transportation Battalion out of Fort Campbell, Ky., returned home in July.

On Wednesday, 17 members of the battalion traveled to Advance, Mo., to thank the students who brought the United States to them through thousands of letters and care packages.

"War is horrifying. It is not glorifying. It's scary," Lt. Col. Randy Patterson told students during an assembly Wednesday morning. "You all provided a guiding light and reminded us of why we were there. You are part of the 106th Transportation Battalion."

Students in first through sixth grade at Advance Elementary School began writing to the battalion after they were deployed to Kuwait last January.

The idea came from 1st Lt. Chris Kirkman, whose mother-in-law, Liana Jenkins, is a fourth-grade teacher at Advance.

"I'd seen soldiers who hadn't been getting any mail, and the idea came to me," Kirkman said. "After the long days, the dust and the bullets, it's amazing what one letter from a fourth-grader can do."

Along with the letters, the students teamed up with Advance churches, nursing homes and other organizations to send care packages filled with posters, lip balm, tissues and similar commodities.

"We got a kick out of how straight to the point they were in the letters," Kirkman said. "Some of them were like, 'Hi. My name is Mike. I hope you don't die.'"

The students also mailed two large boxes of diapers, clothes and toys to a pregnant wife of one of the soldiers.

"It was even more meaningful than I thought it would be," said Jenkins, who organized the campaign. "My students saw things on the news, but I don't think it was real to them. This made the soldiers real to them."

The soldiers became even more real Wednesday as they mingled with students in Advance Elementary's cafeteria.

The group spent time signing miniature American flags, answering children's questions and presenting thank-you awards to the school employees who spearheaded the letter writing.

Holding a camel

Eleven-year-old Casey Tindall sat on the crowded cafeteria floor clutching a small, stuffed camel and waving her miniature flag.

The camel, Casey said, was a gift from her pen pal, Capt. Donna Johnson.

"I wrote her four or five times and she wrote back every time," Casey said. "It was pretty neat, and it really felt good."

Students were curious about how much soldiers train (every day) and how the food tasted (ehhh).

They asked about the creepiest thing that happened (the first Scud missile alarm) and about the happiest moment overseas (the plane ride home).

"Everyone asked about the weather," said Capt. Michael Cimato. "I always tell them to take a blow-dryer in front of their face, turn it on and then throw some sand in."

While in Kuwait and Iraq, the 106th battalion traveled 5 million miles, the equivalent of 30 trips around the Earth, delivering supplies and equipment to combat units.

Only one soldier from the 106th battalion was injured in the ordeal. Spc. Stefano Busico limped into the Advance cafeteria with a crutch under his right arm and a brace on his left leg.

While Busico attributed the injury to a land mine, his compatriots spoke laughingly of a mishap during a friendly volleyball game.

Back "in country" for nearly two months now, the group has had time to unwind, but the reality of the war in Iraq is never far from their hearts or minds.

"During that first Scud alarm, we all hit the ground and grabbed hands. I started crying," said Pfc. Amanda Smith, who, just 19 at the time, was the youngest of the battalion.

"It was scary, especially when you see stuff flying through the air you know shouldn't be there."

Smith still writes to the students who sent her mail in Iraq.

"I was so excited when I got one those letters," she said. "It meant something to us."

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128