May 22, 2003 Mrs. Dingman- I received the package from you and letters from your students about two weeks ago. Everything is greatly appreciated! I have been reading a little bit of "Jackdaws" every night. It is a very good book and a nice break from everything else going on around here. I would have preferred to send you a hand written letter, but mail service coming from Iraq is rather slow and I wanted to ensure that your students receive a response from me before the end of the school year. I hope that school hasn't ended for the year already. I appreciate them taking the time to write to me and draw all the pictures. They were all really interesting to read! I'm not sure exactly what to tell them or what they wanted to know, but can tell them a little about what I have been doing. I'm the S2 (intelligence officer) for a transportation brigade. It's not really what I should be doing as a combat military police officer, but it is still interesting. I just make sure that my commander has current information regarding enemy activity or terrorist activity. Currently I'm up near Baghdad right now and I've spent about two months in Iraq so far. The sandstorms have pretty much stopped now, but they weren't too pleasant in March and April. The temperatures are definitely getting hotter too- we've hit as high as 115 so far! My living conditions aren't too bad. I sleep in a tent on a cot and we have a field shower that we can use every few days. I wash all my clothing by hand in a bucket and hang it out to dry. Most of the Iraqis that I've seen are very happy that we are here and glad that Saddam is no longer around. Some aren't too happy and throw rocks and spit at us, but that's generally the exception and not the rule. Southern Iraq is a lot like Kuwait as far as what there is to see, or more realistically, not see. Most of everything I have seen is mainly featureless desert with lots of sand. The sand is actually more like dust in comparison to what Americans would find at the beach. It often gets rather windy so the dust blows everywhere making it hard to see. It also gets all over everything! These winds are called "shamals" and usually take place in the late spring and early summer months. The air from these shamals is sometimes very warm too. It has rained a few times since I've been here, but it does not rain too often. There are some people that live in the desert that have small homes that aren't constructed too well. Most of the homes are made from mud or bricks that have been baked by the sun. There are also many nomadic people, called beduoins, that herd sheep and camels. They roam from place to place looking for food and water for themselves and their animals. Once you go north of the Euphrates River and a city called Ad Diwhaniyah there is a lot more vegetation and trees. It's actually rather pretty looking. I walked on grass for the first time since I left a few days ago in one of Saddam's former palaces. The palace was very impressive, but just another sign of the selfishness of the former Iraqi regime. I also attached a picture when I was at the Ziggurat of Ur. Ur was apparently an ancient city and the Ziggurat was the main temple. It is also the supposed birthplace of Abraham from the Bible. The Ziggurat is a few kilometers southwest from the city of An Nasiriyah where a lot of heavy fighting took place. I've found out that I will be leaving here on July 4 to return home in time for my wedding. Meghan, one of Clarence's fellow former cadets, is my fiancée. I really hated to miss their commissioning! After I return home, I will be sent for my Captain's course as I will soon be promoted. After the completion of my course, I will command a company of paratroopers. Again, thank you both very much for your thoughtfulness. My mom is also a teacher and I know that the end of the year is a very busy time, so I hope that you are doing well. Please tell Clarence I said hello and I wish him the best in his future days in the Army. Dave |
We've heard from LT Leary!! Click here to share his wonderful letter with us! |
Graphics Courtesy of Sheryl's Graphics and http://davointernet.com/nyc_pentagon |
Letters From Mrs. Dingman's Third Grade April 2003 |
When I was a little girl, my parents taught me it was important to say thank you to those who did special things for me. I cannot think of a more important reason to say thank you than now. We wrote to two very special soldiers. My son is an Army ROTC cadet and will be commissioned next month. The soldiers we have written to are his former classmates. Share my student's heart-warming thoughts! |
Graphics Courtesy of Sheryl's Graphics and http://davointernet.com/nyc_pentagon |
This page was last updated on: June 22, 2003
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Dear LT Stevenson, I have brown eyes and dirty blonde hair. I have toy army men and army cars. I have one sister, two brothers, one mom, one dad, five dogs, five birds, one rat, one fish, two cats and one bunny. I like the cats the most. My school has activities like gym, music, and art. My school has eight third grade classes. My school has a principal named Mr. McElroy. We also have two secretaries. My school has special colors. They are black and red. I thank you because you are risking your life for freedom. If you didn't maybe I might not be writing this letter to you right now. I also want to thank you for protecting the United States of America. From, Devion |
Dear LT Stevenson, Hi my name is Sarah. I wear reading glasses. My favorite colors are blue and purple. I have a sister. Her birthday is in November. My birthday is in November too!!! I also have a brother. His birthday is in February. My mom and dad are nice to me (sometimes!) My brother is annoying! Ha Ha Ha!!! My class is nice to each other. My brother sometimes lets me play X Box with him. My school is nice. My teacher is very, very, very, very nice!!!! In the morning my class does language arts. After lunch we do math. After recess we do science & social studies. My school has 3 grades in it. They are 3rd, 4th, and 5th. We have lunch at 11:15 to 11:45. We have recess at 12:40 to 1:00, or 1:00 to 1:20, or 12: 20 to 12: 40. Thank you for risking your life for the USA because you think the Iraqi people should be free. With all the love within my heart I hope you come home soon and safe. Sincerely, Sarah |
Dear LT Stevenson, Hi. My name is Jessica. I am in third grade. I like third grade because it a challenge for me. I also like it because it's fun. I am 9 years old. I have a mom, a dad, and two brothers. My mom's name is Michele, my dad's name is Mark, one of my brother's name is Scott, and the other brother's name is Kevin. I have two dogs, a cat, 3 fish, and a turtle. My cousin is in the war and I hope he comes home safe. My teacher is Mrs. Dingman. There is a gym, a library, a nurse's office, a cafeteria, an office, a music room, an art room, and many others. I would like to thank you for being brave and saving everybody's life. I also would like to thank you for being brave enough to be a lieutenant. Sincerely, Jessica |
Dear LT Stevenson, Hi my name is Joann and I am 9. I have a brother, a mom, a dad, and a grandpa. We call him Pop Pop. I like to go to school. My favorite thing is math. I like to go to my friend's house a lot!! In the summer I go to the cabin with my family. I have been to Washington D.C and I saw the war wall of fame. That is very sad. In the school Mrs. Dingman is my teacher. I say Mrs. Dingman is the best teacher in the third grade. My favorite subject is anything but science and social studies. In math I mostly get good grades. Then I just like it. I get good grades on a lot of stuff a lot. Thank you for risking your life for us because you care about us. Thank you for saving us because you want to save us. Thank you for your help because we care for you. Thank you for the love in your heart. Sincerely, Joann |
Dear LT Stevenson, Hi LT Stevenson my name is Katlyn. I have a big brother named John. He is 16. His birthday is November 16. John is a good brother to me. John takes good care of me. My birthday is May 26. I am only eight. I am almost 9 years old. I have a kitten. She is not even 1 year old. Her name is Sassy. Sassy is the best kitten. Sassy gets crazy sometimes. Sassy is scared of the vacuum cleaner. On the weekends I go outside and play with my next-door neighbors. My favorite color is purple. My mom's favorite color is brown. When I am not playing outside I am playing my Game Boy Advance or I am playing my Nintendo 64. Our school is a good place. There are a bunch of classes in our school. Did you know if there is a 2 hour delay and everyone in my class is in school then we get free ice cream? I am doing great in school. I am getting good grades in school. My favorite subjects are math and language arts. I like to go to gym because I get exercise in gym. I want to thank you because you are risking your life for America. I know you are a great solider. Thank You, Katlyn |
Dear LT Stevenson, Hello my name is Jacqueline. I am 9 years old. I have a dad and a mom. My dad's name is Kevin. My mom's name is Donna. I also have a dog named Popper. My family is very nice. I wouldn't know what to do without them. My family is Italian and also French Canadian. My grandma comes from Canada. My other grandma comes from Italy. I am also Native American. But only a little bit because my grandpa's ancestors were Native American. My school is very neat, and also very nice. I appreciate my school a lot because my friends are very nice and also because of my teachers. My teacher's name is Mrs. Dingman. She is very nice, polite, and organized. My two best friends names are Katie and Devyn. I also have one more best friend but she doesn't go to this school. Her name is Christina and she lives in New Jersey. Thank you for fighting for our country and also for our freedom. I also want to say thanks for risking your life to do this very important job. I feel very sad that our country is going to war. I feel sad because people I don't know are going to war and people I do know are going to war. My friend on my bus has her dad going to war to fix the planes. I feel bad for her but she is OK. I hope you come home safely. Sincerely, Jacqueline |
Dear LT Stevenson, My name is Jeffrey. I am ten years old. I was born in January. My favorite colors are green, black, and brown. I am four feet nine inches tall. My favorite food is pork chops. I love to help people. My favorite movie is the Matrix. My favorite book is the Panda Palace and the Giving Tree. I like BMX and freestyle. I have a dirt bike that I like to ride. I like to play my Play Station on rainy and messy and muggy days. My favorite thing I like the best is to look at fast cars, like jaguars, Lamborghinis, and Ferraris. I also like to save rare penny years. I do very well in school and get good grades. My favorite subject is history and science. I really like just to count numbers. Our principal is Mr. McElroy. My teacher is Mrs. Dingman. She is very nice. We have fire drills a lot. But once we had to do a fire drill over and over until the fire drill was right. The fire drill seemed like it took forever. There are over 7 third grade classes in the school, and over three hundred kids. There is a lot, I mean a lot of kids, in this school. Thank you for protecting America and keeping it safe because that is a very super nice thing to do. I feel very sad you're in the war. I hope you stay safe. I feel very upset about the war and all that's going on in the world today. I hope the war ends soon and we get the freedom and win the war. I want to say good luck to winning the war and thanks again. Sincerely, Jeffrey |
Dear LT Stevenson, Hi my name is Serena. I have a big sister named Whitney and a little brother named Zack. I am 9 years old. My favorite color is magenta. My eyes are blue and my favorite food is pizza. I have a cat but she ran away on Friday. She came back yesterday. I have a dog and his name is Buster. My favorite singer is Avril Levine. My school is brown. My school has grades 3rd, 4th, and 5th . My school has music, art, gym, health, and guidance. My class has 24 kids. My teacher has a big desk and my classmates and me have small desks. We have 5 computers in our class. We have a library too. Thank you for keeping me safe because my family and me would be very sad if anything happened to me. I hope you come home safe. Sincerely, Serena |
Dear LT Stevenson, Hi my name is Timothy but everybody calls me Tim. I am 8 and a half years old. I have 6 people that live in my house. The people that are in my family are my mom, she's 34, (her real name is Dawn) my big sister Tiffany is 16, my little sister Marissa is 7, my dad is 36, (his real name is Tim) and my grandpa is 49 (his real name is Jim). I like sports like football, and baseball, and basketball. I like to do anything that's stupid and you can do on anything that has wheels. Our school is fun and educational because our principal Mr. McElroy does nice things for us and because we learn new stuff that we never knew. All our teachers are very nice. We have gym every Friday and Thursday. I have music every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I just want to say thanks for fighting Iraq, and for keeping us safe. I also want to thank you for not letting the people in Iraq hurt us. You are doing us a HUGE favor right now by fighting in Iraq. I hope you come home safe, Tim |
Dear LT Stevenson, Hi my name is Dylan. I am in third grade and it is great. I am eight years old. I have a rabbit and turtles. My rabbit's name is Chester and my turtles' names are Peter and Gloria. In my old school we had to do lots of work. It was in Brooklyn. I moved to Pennsylvania to go to a new school and get a better house. My new school is better than my old school. We are learning in my new school a lot. We have a lot of classes. I want to thank you for fighting for our country. You are a very brave soldier. From, Dylan |
Dear LT Stevenson, Hi my name is David. I am 9 and a half years old. I have a sister named Yami. The name is pronounced Shamy. She is going to the Marines. I have two more sisters and one brother. One sister is 18 or 19 years old. She's my half sister. She lives in the country of Argentina. That's where I used to live. I have not seen her since 5 or 6 years ago. My brother is 21 or 22 years old. He lives in Argentina too. He's my half brother. I have not seen him for 5 or 6 years. My other sister Yami lives with me, my mom, my dad, and my other sister. My other sister is Natalia. She is 15 years old and she lives with me. My whole family is Spanish. I moved 6 times. My school is very BIG and it has a lot of people in it. This is my first time in this school. I like the gym because it's bigger than my other one. My classroom is big and has some cool kids in it. This is the coolest school ever. I want to come back when I'm not in the school. I thank you because you are trying to help the United States of America. I also thank you because you are risking your life. I wish you good luck when you go back. You are helping a lot of men, women, and children. Sincerely, David |
Dear LT Stevenson, Hi my name is Dylan and I am 9 and half years old. I have two sisters, a mom, a dad, and me. My two sisters' names are Shannon and Sara. My dad's name is Ed but we call him dad. My moms' name is Nancy but we call her mom. We live right next to a pizza store but we don't go there much. My room is kind of small. I also have one half sister and two half brothers. My one half sister is 21. One of my half brothers name is Ryan and he is 19. My other half brother is Derrick. He is 23. I have Mrs. Dingman for a teacher this year. Our school has a brown top and kind of a tan brick bottom. Inside there is an office, a library, a nurse's office, a lunchroom, a music room, a third grade wing, a fifth grade wing, and a fourth grade wing. My favorite subject is social studies. I thank you for keeping our country safe from Iraq because to us our country is important. Thank you for keeping me safe because my house is important. I hope that you come home not hurt. From, Dylan |
Dear LT Leary, My name is Judith. I always wanted a middle name but my dad said no because he wanted my name to be regular. There are seven kids in my house. There are five girls and two boys. My dog has to lose weight. He is too fat because my cousin gives him too many doggie treats. I live with my Aunt. My Aunt cooks really good food for me and my family. My school is big and colorful. My school has special colors. They are black and red. My school's library is so huge I can't touch the ceiling. I want to thank you for serving in the war. I want to thank you for protecting our country. From, Judith |
Dear LT Leary, Hi, my name is Nicole. I have Nintendo glasses. My favorite color is purple. I have one cat and a dog. I love my dad a whole lot. My grandma has a new dog. There is a library in my school with over 1,000 books. In my school there are eight third grade classes. In my school every classroom has a globe. Every teacher has a room number at the top of the door. Thank you LT Leary for your bravery and kindness. I think that soldiers you work with are brave and kind because you are a good LT. I feel that way because you are trying your best. I wish that you have a wonderful day and I wish that you come home soon and safe. From, Nicole |
Dear LT Leary, Hi my name is Alyssa. I am in third grade. My teacher is Mrs. Dingman. I am nine years old. I have a mom, a dad, and a sister Kaitlin who is 11 years of age. My grandma lives in Connecticut and she has ever since she was born. My dad works for a window company. My mom works part time for a department store and for the school whenever they call her to sub. I live in a blue ranch. Where I live there is a pool that everyone in the community can use if they have a pass. I do not have any pets because no one in my family can agree on one. We have a motto here at my school. It is Where the Best Shine Brightly. We have student council here and I am the alternate for my class. Misty is the one who goes to the meetings unless she can't. Our principal is very, very generous. I also have the most loving, caring, generous, and kind teacher in the world. That teacher is Mrs. Dingman. My art teacher was (we had her in the 1st and 2nd marking period) Miss Benjamin. My music teacher is Mr. Krauss. My gym teacher is Mr. Reich. Thank you for going to fight to protect our country. I also thank you for feeling that it is your responsibility to protect us. Thank you for leaving the U.S. and your family to fight. Come home soon safely, Alyssa |
Dear LT Leary, Hi, my name is Adam. I'm eight years old. I like to play video games. I have a sister, a mother, and a father. I have four pets. I have a dog named Buddy, two cats named Oliver and Whiskey, and about twenty fish. My best friends are Keegan, Dan, and Richard. My school has eight classrooms. My school has 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. We have nine subjects in our school. They are Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Math, Gym, Music, Art, Guidance, and Health. Thank you, LT Leary for fighting for our country. I'm happy that you are fighting for us and making me feel safe. I hope you get home safely when the war is done. Sincerely, Adam |
Dear LT Leary, Hello my name is Dan. I take orchestra from my band teacher Miss LaRusso. My favorite color is blue. My mom is 38 years old. My dad is 37 years old. My little brother is 6 years old. My big brother is 9 years. I am 8 years old. I have a dog. My dog is about 1 and a half years old. My school is black and tan. It has 9 third grade classes, 8 fourth grade classes, and 9 fifth grade classes. My school has gym, music, art, and guidance. My school's roof does not leak. We play mat ball, capture the flag, and we do stations most of the time in gym. I feel proud that you are trying to get the bad people in the world. I hope you have a good day. I hope you come home soon. Thank you, Dan |
Dear LT Leary, Hi my name is Keegan. I have two brothers. I have no sisters. I'm the youngest in my family. I'm 9 years old. My brothers are 12 and 13, almost 14. I have one pet and it is a leopard gecko. His name is Sky and he is 5 years old. My school is very big. There are 20 buses. There are 8 third grades, 8 fourth grades, and 9 fifth grades. I do math, reading, language arts, science and social studies, gym, guidance, and music. We have a big gym and we have a computer lab. My class got the best attendance. Thanks for reading my letter because I know you are very busy with your work. Thank you for doing your work. It makes me feel good. I think it will be a good day when you come home. Thank You, Keegan |
Dear LT Leary, Hello my name is Misty. My dad is starting a band and so is my friend Jessica and guess what? I'm in the band. We call Jessica Jessie! I like the color pink. You know why I like the color pink? I like the color pink because there's a singer called Pink!!! Isn't that cool!!! Well, did you know that Mrs. Dingman is my teacher? I'm only 8 years old, and Mrs. Dingman is a third grade teacher. Did you I'm a TWIN? Isn't that really cool? My mom is the best of all in my family because she takes care of me. (I Love my mom) I have a baby sister. She got stitches because she was running and she hit the edge of the table and she cut her eyebrow open!!!!! My school has a gym, a lunchroom, lots of third grade classrooms, 5th grade classrooms, 4th grade classrooms, and we have a principal. The school has a library. My school has an office! My friend, Devyn is my best friend! My teacher Mrs. Dingman is the best because she is really smart and pretty and she's the best. Thank you for all your hard work because you work really hard. Thank you for going out there for us. We thank you a lot. I feel a little worried about you, but I still am proud of you! Thank You, Misty |
Dear LT Leary, Hi my name is Caitlin. I am in third grade. My teacher's name is Mrs. Dingman. I love her for a third grade teacher. I am 8 years old. I have a mom, dad, and my little brother named Shane. He is 5 years old. Also I have a dog named Jasmine. She is a yellow lab. My dad is a Chiropractor. I go and visit him after school sometimes. I might be getting another puppy but, my dad said, "It's too much money." So Shane, mom, and me keep begging him for one. If we're getting a puppy it's going to be a girl. We don't know what kind yet. We're still thinking. My school is VERY big. I have a HUGE gym, a BIG art room, a BIG lunchroom, and a BIG music room. My gym teacher is Mr. Reich. My art teacher is Miss Benjamin. My music teacher is Mr. Krauss and he is very funny. There are eight 3rd grade classrooms. Thank you for being brave and having courage because you are risking your life for us. It makes me feel happy to know what you are doing right now in Iraq. Hope you come home safe and will be happy you're home, Caitlin |
Dear LT Leary, Hi my name is Devyn. I'm in third grade. We only have nine weeks of school left and then we go to fourth grade. I have two little brothers and one little sister. I have a pug for a dog, he has asthma, and he is 4 years old. In dog years he is 37. My cousin Leigh got to meet Billy Joel! Our school was made in 1982. We have a HUGE gym! And we have three gym teachers. Our art room I think is a little bit bigger than our music room. Our music teacher, Mr. Krauss, calls me The Rat for no reason. We have 8 third grade classrooms. And our guidance teacher's name is Mrs. Schmidt. She is a lot of fun. On the first day she came to our classroom she gave us a piece of paper to fold into a nametag. I would like to thank you for fighting in the war for our country. It makes feel a little scared because you could get hurt. I will feel very happy about you when you come home. Thank You, Devyn |
Dear LT Leary, Hi my name is Brandon. I am 9 years old. I am in third grade. My teacher is Mrs. Dingman. I have two dogs. My favorite animal is raccoon. I hate rabbits. My best friends are Richard, Tim, Jeff, Keegan, and David. My school has 8 3rd grades. I don't know how many 4th and 5th grades are in the school. Our school's motto is "Where The Best Shine Brightly". We have a gym room, art room, music room, computer room, cafeteria, and office. We also have a library. Thank you for serving our country in Iraq because not too many people are brave enough to fight in the war. I hope you come home soon. Sincerely, Brandon |
Dear LT Leary, My name is Richard. I have a dog and I have three cats. I have glasses and I have lots of remote control cars. I like to bungee jump in the summer. I like to ride my four wheeler in the snow. In the summer I like to race my four-wheeler. I have seven people in my house. I have my mom and my dad my two sisters and me, my Uncle Willey and my grandma. I like to play Game Boy. In our school we have a lunchroom. We also have a library, and an art room. We have a new principal. His name is Mr. McElroy. My favorite subject is social studies and science. Thank you for helping our country by looking out for us. Thank you for being so brave and helpful. From, Richard |
We've heard from LT Leary!! Click here to share his wonderful letter with us! |
May 22, 2003 Mrs. Dingman- I received the package from you and letters from your students about two weeks ago. Everything is greatly appreciated! I have been reading a little bit of "Jackdaws" every night. It is a very good book and a nice break from everything else going on around here. I would have preferred to send you a hand written letter, but mail service coming from Iraq is rather slow and I wanted to ensure that your students receive a response from me before the end of the school year. I hope that school hasn't ended for the year already. I appreciate them taking the time to write to me and draw all the pictures. They were all really interesting to read! I'm not sure exactly what to tell them or what they wanted to know, but can tell them a little about what I have been doing. I'm the S2 (intelligence officer) for a transportation brigade. It's not really what I should be doing as a combat military police officer, but it is still interesting. I just make sure that my commander has current information regarding enemy activity or terrorist activity. Currently I'm up near Baghdad right now and I've spent about two months in Iraq so far. The sandstorms have pretty much stopped now, but they weren't too pleasant in March and April. The temperatures are definitely getting hotter too- we've hit as high as 115 so far! My living conditions aren't too bad. I sleep in a tent on a cot and we have a field shower that we can use every few days. I wash all my clothing by hand in a bucket and hang it out to dry. Most of the Iraqis that I've seen are very happy that we are here and glad that Saddam is no longer around. Some aren't too happy and throw rocks and spit at us, but that's generally the exception and not the rule. Southern Iraq is a lot like Kuwait as far as what there is to see, or more realistically, not see. Most of everything I have seen is mainly featureless desert with lots of sand. The sand is actually more like dust in comparison to what Americans would find at the beach. It often gets rather windy so the dust blows everywhere making it hard to see. It also gets all over everything! These winds are called "shamals" and usually take place in the late spring and early summer months. The air from these shamals is sometimes very warm too. It has rained a few times since I've been here, but it does not rain too often. There are some people that live in the desert that have small homes that aren't constructed too well. Most of the homes are made from mud or bricks that have been baked by the sun. There are also many nomadic people, called beduoins, that herd sheep and camels. They roam from place to place looking for food and water for themselves and their animals. Once you go north of the Euphrates River and a city called Ad Diwhaniyah there is a lot more vegetation and trees. It's actually rather pretty looking. I walked on grass for the first time since I left a few days ago in one of Saddam's former palaces. The palace was very impressive, but just another sign of the selfishness of the former Iraqi regime. I also attached a picture when I was at the Ziggurat of Ur. Ur was apparently an ancient city and the Ziggurat was the main temple. It is also the supposed birthplace of Abraham from the Bible. The Ziggurat is a few kilometers southwest from the city of An Nasiriyah where a lot of heavy fighting took place. I've found out that I will be leaving here on July 4 to return home in time for my wedding. Meghan, one of Clarence's fellow former cadets, is my fiancée. I really hated to miss their commissioning! After I return home, I will be sent for my Captain's course as I will soon be promoted. After the completion of my course, I will command a company of paratroopers. Again, thank you both very much for your thoughtfulness. My mom is also a teacher and I know that the end of the year is a very busy time, so I hope that you are doing well. Please tell Clarence I said hello and I wish him the best in his future days in the Army. Dave |
