Monday, May 31, 1999
War's hard at any age
Third-graders share thoughts
BY KAREN SAMPLES
The Cincinnati Enquirer
VILLA HILLS — We have bombed Kosovo, harassed Saddam Hussein, fought for our independence, fought against each other and dropped bombs on Japan, among other acts of war.
That's a lot for third-graders to remember. No wonder they get confused sometimes.
“My papaw was in the Revolutionary War,” says Ashley Thurman, 9.
She thinks the current conflict in Kosovo may be partly our fault, “for spying on what they're doing.”
“We're not spying,” counters classmate Natalie Koster.
“Yes, we are. We're looking at the weapons.”
“What are you talking about?” Natalie whispers.
They discuss this among themselves. Turns out Ashley was thinking of that business with Saddam Hussein.
Oh well. War is war is war. What matters most to these kids are the people behind it — some of whom they now count as friends.
This spring, teachers Teri Ries and Melinda Boesken of River Ridge Elementary School had their third-graders write letters to U.S. soldiers and sailors. The father of student Chris Lawrence used his military connections to steer the letters to the right places.
Some of the soldiers who wrote back are stationed in Bosnia, so the kids are paying more attention to the news from there.
Noel Pacheco describes the war like this: “Kosovo and this other country were fighting; and then we bombed Kosovo because we said, "Stop,' and they wouldn't stop; and they don't have much money and they're very poor now.”
“I know they're dropping nuclear warheads on them,” says Jeremy Cahill. “No, wait. ...”
Dan Brinkman helps out: “I think they're dropping F-1 warheads. Those things do a lot of damage.”
If the news makes it all sound quite dramatic, their pen pals' letters emphasize the routine. Who knew a bunch of Northern Kentucky 9-year-olds would have so much in common with guys who wear bulletproof vests, lift weights constantly and have to be mean sometimes?
“They have good hearts, but they have to fight in wars,” Natalie says.
Nikol Kathman isn't sure why countries get so mad at each other. “I think they should make up and have lunch together or some thing,” she says.
Noel agrees. “Everybody shake,” he suggests.
In the letters the students have received so far, one soldier complains about eating bad food and wearing dirty clothes. Another says he hopes it doesn't snow in Bosnia. Others share the names of their pets, girlfriends, sons and daughters.
Some of the soldiers and sailors expressed gratitude for the correspondence. “We sometimes think that our fellow Americans forget about us,” one of them wrote.
Ashley's letter was answered by Army Cpl. David Hapney, 19. “It's not scary at all being here,” he writes. “The people I have met are really nice. To answer your question, I don't have to stand up all day and night.”
Noel was surprised to discover that his pen pal was a 24-year-old woman.
Her job is to paint the outside of a Navy ship. In her free time, she reads, plays cards and misses her 2-year-old daughter.
Natalie's pal sent an international weather map from the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. On the map he circled Tuzla, a city near Sarajevo, and said that's where he's stationed.
This surprised Natalie. She didn't know soldiers could reveal their locations.
She and Ashley will be thinking about their new friends on Memorial Day, which to them means “thank you for helping us in the wars.”
“It's a celebration of people who died,” Ashley says.
Natalie can't help but worry. She just met these men, and what if one of them gets hurt or killed?
There's only one thing to do, she says.
“I pray, "Help these soldiers fight their enemies, and give them peace.'”
Karen Samples is The Enquirer's Kentucky columnist. This is a bonus column. Her column usually appears on Sundays and Thursdays in The Kentucky Enquirer. She can be reached at 578-5584 or by e-mail at: ksamples@enquirer.com.
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