By KELLY GILBERT - GM Today Staff

October 8, 2004

A student in Lynn Tompitch’s sixth-grade class holds stickers that students in her class at Bay Lane Middle School in Muskego received from members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7221 on Tuesday. The class is writing letters to troops serving overseas.

A student in Lynn Tompitch’s sixth-grade class at Bay Lane Middle School in Muskego listen to writing instructions from members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7221 on Tuesday. The class is writing letters to troops serving overseas.

MUSKEGO - 
Rarely does the thought of writing a letter stir excitement in adults, much less students. But sixth-graders at Bay Lane Middle School are psyched to write.

"I think it will be fun," said Trevor Witkowiak. "I’ll ask how the weather is."

His classmate, Erika Bennetts, wants to know something else.

"If he has a bedtime," she said.

Witkowiak and Bennetts are in Lynn Tompitch’s class and are going to be writing letters to the Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division. The unit was adopted through the Veterans of Foreign Wars Adopt-A-Unit program by VFW Mukwonago Post 7221 and the Genesee Depot Post 5270.

Commander of Mukwonago Post 7221 Richard Kuske and Adopt-A-Unit Chairman and Mukwonago post member Jim Paar visited the class Tuesday.

"We know what it’s like to be away from home and in a situation like these gentlemen are and not being able to get the mail on a regular basis," Paar told the students. "You can’t just run and pick up the phone and talk to your kids.

"These letters from you will be very, very important. It will give them an idea that the community is behind you. It will make their day a lot better."

Paar explained to the students that the letters don’t need to be long and can simply ask the troops what’s going on.

"The biggest thing is to put an address on each page," he said.

Paar explained an address is needed so that the troops can write back. Students were told to use the school’s address as their return address. If the Marine and student should become pen pals, then the student can send the Marine his or her home address.

Tompitch views the letter writing program as a win-win situation.

"It’s to everybody’s benefit," she said. "The kids are going to benefit because they are always looking for ways to serve the community or to honor the people in the military. It’s real hard at this age to do that. This is a wonderful way to show respect and honor to those who serve our country."

Hope Ragan, wife of USMC Sgt. Ragan of Oceanside, NY was recently interviewed in the Oceanside Herald about the excitement our troops feel when letters and packages arrive from home. She said many troops walk away empty handed. I asked her what I could do to help and what would make their day. She said "it would mean so very much to our troops to receive something from you all. Packages have to be plain brown box with a customs form attached they have them at the post office and will help you fill it out.

Hope lists the most requested items: 
• Cookies (any kind they love cookies) :)
• Candy that won't melt
• baby wipes
• magazines (fitness ones are a favorite)
• trial size mouthwash and toothpaste
• toothburushes
• postcards from anywhere
• crossword puzzles or word finds
• Board Games
• Books
• Dvd's
• Any kind of snack food (chips, pretzels, cheese puffs, etc..)
• Of course, letters, letters and more letters!