Soldiers love children's handwriting

Not many thank-you notes are reciprocated with another thank-you note, but Doris Middleton has a collection of them. In an exercise of both punctuation and appreciation, the third-grade teacher at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School last year had her class write letters to an American military post, building a correspondence that ended with the school year last spring.

Another scrapbook completed, another page turned.

But soon after beginning her 26th year at the Washington Township school, Middleton reached into her school mailbox to discover something completely novel -- a future soldier reaching out."We have recently been down on morale and came across your students' letter(s) that were in a locker that someone left from last cycle," Private Chris Lindsey wrote from Fort Benning, a basic training school in Georgia, on Sept. 9. "We called the entire platoon to formation and read the letters out loud. I have never seen my platoon so motivated and encouraged."

The next morning, Middleton rallied her class of 20, proceeded to read Lindsey's letter and dispersed the necessary materials: paper, tools mightier than swords, and a tangible way to "Support the Troops."

"It was difficult writing to somebody you don't know, but it was like we were on a mission," said Middleton, a Gloucester Township resident. "We were there to help boost their morale."

Middleton originally challenged her class with the task in the 2006-2007 school year, instructing her students to send letters to the unit of Private Gordon Adams, the uncle of her then-student Celeste Pacheco and an enlistee stationed 900 miles away at Fort Benning, Ga.

After noticing other cadets receiving little or no mail, Adams wrote to his sister, Jennette Fowler, the mother of Pacheco, requesting backup -- a bunch of eager 8- and 9-year-olds who wanted new pen pals of their own.

"As young as they are, they seem very appreciative, and they realize these people are defending them and our country," Middleton recalled.

While eternity may precede recess for some third-grade students, days run even longer at Fort Benning. The infantry school tests endurance through mile repeats, strength through pushup workouts and accuracy through shooting practice, among other things. On the day of graduation, the last of the 17-week training period, Adams had unfortunately guessed right; many of his fellow trainees had no family or friends nearby. But armed with a stack of letters, Fowler made sure the pen pals' presence was felt by his homesick peers.

And lucky for these National Guard soldiers, the students didn't get too creative with their letters. "(The cadets) would get teased about it if you decorate the envelopes," said Fowler, 28, a Washington Township resident, remembering a note Adams wrote soon after arriving there. "One of the guys got a heart-shaped letter and had to do extra pushups to (be allowed to open) the letter. They just bust their chops."

Adams, 25, lives in West Deptford, but is set to depart for Iraq in June.

"Because he's still here" Pacheco said she doesn't currently write to him, but plans to when he's overseas.

"It makes me feel proud because my uncle is in the army," said Celeste Pacheco, 10, a fourth grader.

Along with showing support and showcasing their artwork, both of Middleton's classes loaded their letters with questions. And the cadets had the answers -- generally.

"No, I don't get to drive an Army car," then-Private David Willis wrote. "We just get to ride in the back."

"Yes, good eye sight is needed in the military . . . ," Justin Witter noted as a private on May 6. "I assume by the time you are old enough to decide to join the military, they can correct being color blind."

But Brandon Parr, then a 19-year-old private, was asked something a bit more personal.

"My reason for joining the military is for the simple fact that it was the right thing to do," he wrote.

Although the penmanship is unmistakably that of students, it's not always clear who's doing the asking in the notes, Middleton said.

"Sometimes they would get help from their parents and I think you could hear the parent's voice in there, too, thanking them and talking to them about it," she said.

In a digital world where it seems everyone is texting or IM'ing or e-mailing, reading and writing between the lines may seem as old as papyrus.

But stick a feather in your pen, Middleton said, because freehand writing still serves a function.

"I'm from the old school. E-mail has its advantages and disadvantages, but there's nothing like a handwritten note," said Middleton, who also had her class write to third-graders at Birches Elementary School, to "grand pals" at Cardinal Retirement Village and to her husband, Wes Middleton, a veteran, after a recent hip replacement. "It's so much more personal."

Student Mary Kate Anastasi, 9, still prefers e-mail lingo over English, but said she doesn't mind writing to soldiers. In fact, she hopes the class will write to her step-brother, Michael, a full-time Coast Guard officer living in Boston, next.

"I tried to make it the best I could," Anastasi said. "I don't really write letters like this."

The soldiers haven't yet responded to the students' last batch of letters in November, but both the students and the teacher can't wait until the troops arrive back home. Until then, they only have old letters to hold:

One read: "I remember when I was in grade school and we wrote those "Dear Soldier' letters. I didn't think they meant anything, let alone actually sent them off. If nothing else, I want you to know that we all thank you for sending those letters.

"Your friendly American soldier. PFC Chris Lindsey."