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November 19, 2009

<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/extra.gif" border=0>Veteran gathers kids’ letters to send to troops in Afghanistan<font color="#ff0000"> w/ Joplin kids' letters to soldiers </font>

By Susan Redden

sredden@joplinglobe.com

Bob French chokes up a little when he reads some of the letters written by Joplin school pupils to local soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

All the letters include a “thank you” for the safety and security the soldiers’ service helps provide. But in some, the youngsters acknowledge the sacrifices being made by soldiers, who are in harm’s way, separated from their families, and missing holidays, birthdays and other important events.

“They wrote from the heart, and it’s obvious they care,” French said of the more than 1,000 letters that he delivered Thursday to the Missouri Army National Guard Armory in Joplin.

When he made the request to Joplin elementary and middle schools, he was hoping he would be able to send one letter to each of the approximately 300 members of the Joplin-based 203rd Engineer Battalion now serving in Afghanistan. He got three times that, and in short order.

The day after he called the schools, “They had the letters for me,” said French, a Navy veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, and a member of American Legion Post 13.

French said he made the request after attending a Veterans Day program at Eastmorland Elementary School at which the children gave letters to veterans, thanking them for their service.

“I asked them to write to the soldiers who are in harm’s way now,” he said.

The schools and youngsters responded with letters and handmade greeting cards. Many contained drawings, and some included class pictures.

French called the response “heartwarming.”

“It (the letters) lets them know they’re loved and that we want them to come home safe,” he said.

Michelle Pippin, public affairs representative with the Joplin-based unit, said members of the 203rd are stationed at three sites in Afghanistan.

She said it will take about two weeks for the letters to arrive, and she predicted they will be welcomed.

“It means a lot, because it’s a piece of home, and letters from kids mean 10 times more,” she said. “They talk about the Afghan kids who come up to them and want to shake their hands or touch their uniforms. They say they’re so beautiful it melts their hearts, and this will too.”

Sgt. Scott Pippin, her husband, is a member of the unit, and Pippin is active at home as part of the 203rd Family Readiness Group. Members of that group, she said, “are staying busy in the community.”

She said the organization includes a youth group that has raised money and will take children of unit members on a shopping trip Saturday to “buy Christmas gifts for their soldiers.”

She said family members have worked to help one another and have received a lot of help from the community during the unit’s deployment.

“We’re moved by the support for our soldiers and ourselves,” she said. “It’s especially helpful in the holiday season to know we have the support and prayers of the community.”

She said the readiness group is planning to bring family members together over the Christmas holiday.





Want to help?



Area residents who want to write a letter to a solider, send a “care” package or offer support to family members at home can get information by calling unit headquarters at 624-0177; by writing to 2000 W. 32nd St., Joplin, MO 65604; or by e-mailing michellepippin@sbcglobal.net.

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