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The buddies back home
By LOGAN NEILL SPRING HILL -- Although her students are too young to fully understand what has been going on in Iraq, Westside Elementary School first-grade teacher Glenda Vasquez wanted them to know there was something they could do to honor the efforts of the men and women who are devoting their lives to protect the rest of us. That's essentially the idea behind "soldier buddies." For several weeks, Vasquez's pupils have been busy making commemorative dog tags, each one printed with the name of a member of the military stationed overseas. The names include those of family friends and loved ones of teachers, students and staff members at Westside and its community. "It's been a very positive experience for everyone," said Vasquez, who wears a tag bearing the name of her nephew, Clemente Gamez, who is stationed in the Middle East. The idea to make and distribute the tags actually dates back 12 years to the Gulf War, when Vasquez, then a second-grade teacher, asked her students to make tags for distribution around the community. They are similar to the prisoner-of-war bracelets that were popular during the Vietnam War. The teacher felt it was important for children to have a personal connection to the world around them. And though she realizes most of them have little grasp on the reality of the war in Iraq, it is a subject that creeps up often during the school day. "It's impossible to ignore something they see on TV every night," Vasquez said. "So, I figured if we were going to talk about it, we might as well focus on the people involved in it that we care about." The first-graders have made about 200 tags, which are vinyl and attached to red felt necklaces. Throughout the day, Vasquez's students are likely to see many teachers and fellow students wearing them, something Vasquez says makes the youngsters proud. The students also maintain a "wall of fame," a bulletin board pasted with yellow stars, each with the name and rank of a soldier buddy. "People are worried about them, and that's why I wanted to help do something nice," said 7-year-old Samantha Rodriguez. Her classmate, Steve Viera, sporting a tag with the name of older brother Alex, who is stationed in Korea, says he feels sorry for the Iraqi people after watching news reports of the war. Nonetheless, he wishes the American soldiers would come home soon. "They are missed by their families," he said. "A lot of them will be away for a long time." Vasquez says that her students want to do even more for the soldiers. Last week, they began putting together some comfort packages to be sent to military personnel. Items they are gathering include small luxuries such as lip balm, toothpaste, dental floss and writing materials. One thing the pupils insisted on including was jelly beans. "The kids know that most likely they'll be missing Easter," said Vasquez. "They just didn't want them to feel left out."
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