4Welcome to Operation American Braves

Published in "The Leader-Herald" on Thursday, November 22, 2007
http://www.leaderherald.com

Link to Bravery
Fonda program connects students with U.S. soldiers at war

By Christina Chamberlain
The Leader-Herald

FONDA-Twelve-year-old Clyde Sammons is thankful he's a student in the United Slates and not in the Middle East.

Sammons no longer takes for granted simple things like pencils and paper.
His eyes were opened to what school is like for children in Afghanistan through the Operation American Braves program at Fonda-Fultonville Central School.

Spanish teacher Nancy Deitch spearheaded the program, which connects the school and community with soldiers at war. The correspondence is posted on the district’s Web sill' al www.fondafultonvilleschools.org.

According to the Web site Operation American Braves "enables our school and our community to express its concern for these people in a very tangible way."

Superintendent James Hoffman and communications specialist Cuyle Rockwell helped Deitch bring the program to fruition. Rockwell maintains the district site.

The initial stages of the program began when a family friend of Deitch's, Capt. Andrew "Drew" Johannes was deployed 10 Kirkuk, Iraq, after spending a year in Afghanistan.

Johannes is not from Fonda, but made many visits to the area.

Deitch said she asked Johannes if he needed anything that she could send him.

She was stunned when Johannes said he didn't need anything, but there were some things he would like to have, including hand sanitizer.

"It was so overwhelming to think about these men living in a situation that they didn't have the very basic necessities," Deitch said.

Deitch said she read the list of supplies to her class and the program grew from there.

"We want to support them as much as we can while thay are there,” Hoffman said. “And hopefully, they’ll get home sage. As far away as they are, they are still a part of our community.”

Johannes would sent monthly newletter updates to Deithc, which she shared with her class. The student became pen pals with some of the soldiers, and suppliers were sent to the soldiers. In Decmber 2006, the eight-grade Star Team put together 10 Christmas packages for Johannes’ unit.

Deitch said the correspondence between her class ant the soldiers opened the students’ eyes to a lot.

“It’s just an incredible chance for them to understand a foreign culture,” Deitch said.
During the summer, Deitch saw 2001 Fonda-Fultonville High School graduate Dan Kelly, who informed her he was going to Afghanistan.

Deitch and Kelly have kept in touch through letters and e-mails, which are all posted on the district’s Web site.

Kelly sent photos, list of supplies needed and a PowerPoint presentation about a school partnership program the district could participate in.

The program connect U.S. Schools with schools in Afghanistan. Most of the schools in Afghanistan lack basic supplies such as pencils and paper.

The schools receive humanitarian assistance through the program.

Along with Kelly's letters, Johannes' letters are included on the American Braves section of the site.

Johannes safely returned to Hawaii in October.

Deitch said the pictures from Kelly showing the open-air schools in Afghanistan affected the students.

"When they saw the pictures of those schools, they were so moved," she said. "They had a good chance to put themselves outside of the American culture and see that everybody doesn't live quite as well as we do."

Open-air schools are merely a tarp with four posts.

"It's pretty much a tent on dirt." Sammons said. "If they have paper or something, that's a pretty big deal for them."

Sammons is the president of the seventh-grade class council at Fonda-Fultonville Middle School.

Judy Kelly, Dan's mother, said Dan is a lieutenant in the Army.

"I can't even express to you what it means to me,” Kelly said, referring to Operation American Braves.

"'The whole school community has stepped up," she said. "It's got to feel wonderful to Dan."
Dan arrived in Afghanistan on his birthday May 19. He's on a l5-month deployment and should be back home in September his mother said.

Judy Kelly sends her son a care package every week.

"It helps me with my anxiety,” she said.

She said her son received five large packages full of school supplies from the school district.

''This is our way to wage peace." she said.

''They really have done some thing quite special," she said.

She said her son's unit built a water supply system for a community near where he is stationed.

Students are selling leather and oak tag bookmarks to raise money to cover the cost to send the school supplies to Afghanistan.

Along with the bookmark sale, the council is conducting a contest. The homeroom that collects the most items for the school partnership program will be rewarded with a pizza or ice cream party of their choice, Sammons said.

"It's heartwarming," seventh-grade class council adviser and social studies teacher Jon Thompson said, "I'm very proud of the kids that they would want to do this."

He said when the students saw the living conditions, it was hard for them to comprehend at first.

''They felt very bad for the kids and they wanted to do something about it," Thompson said.

Sammons said he "loves" participating in Operation American Braves.

"I have a couple family members in the war," Sammons said. "It feels good to help out."

Sammons said he hopes next year's seventh grade and classes in the future will carry on the efforts.

Christina Chamberlain covers Montgomery County. She can be reached at montco@leaderherald.com.
 

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