What would you say to a soldier returning from Afghanistan? For many of our brave military members returning from a tour of duty in the Middle East, their first stop is likely to be somewhere along the East Coast, and more often than not, far from where they call home. Students at Stimson Middle School in South Huntington are doing something to express their gratitude to these young men and women. “This program started years ago, when many of these soldiers deployed out of North Carolina. Many of them came from far away, and they had no one to greet them as they stepped off the plane,” said Stimson special education teacher Ms. Bridget Berbrick. “We adopted the MAG 40 marine unit and wrote letters to them for when they returned. The letter writing then progressed into something we did monthly to be sent directly to our unit of marines in Afghanistan.”

So what would you write if given the chance? Some Stimson students jump right in and pen paragraph after paragraph. Others take a few moments to think about what they will say and then build their letter slowly, sentence by sentence. “We’re sending anywhere from 50 to 70 letters or cards each month,” said Ms. Berbrick. “This opportunity is open to everyone in the school, and we get a wonderful collection of students from every corner of Stimson.”  Keep up the good work, Stimson!