When Tuesday began it was just like normal. Then it was time to see our Marines land. So we went to wait. Then someone said they heard it! Soon everyone heard it. Then, we saw it! It was two helicopters. They finally landed. Soon we met the Marines and started learning about the Huey and Cobra helicopters. Later we went in for a brunch. At the end of the brunch we got autographs. Then we watched them take off. It made a huge sand storm all over the place.

Written By:
Kayla Merriman

  
        This year at Vaughan Elementary School , Mrs. Hicks’ and Mrs. Largent’s classes were pen pals with the Red Dog Marines. The reason for that was one of my best friends, Collette Smith, had a dad in the marines. So, today the whole school got a big surprise. The Marines landed two helicopters a Cobra and a Huey at our school. Then, since we were the ones who wrote to them we got to go eat brunch with them and get their autographs. So…don’t you wish you could do that?

Written By:
Tara Hambrick

 
            I think it was really cool writing letters to the Marines and watching the helicopters come in and take off. But, to me, the most important part of today is that we got to meet people that protected our country and we didn’t even know them. I’ve never met a Marine in my whole life. The Marines that I met answered all my questions perfectly. They even had questions for me about my school, Vaughan Elementary.

They protected my life, so I wrote to lift their spirits.

Written By:
Cammie Gantek

 
           Marines came on 4-22-08. They were our pen pals. I have never had a pen pal before. My parents were so excited. I told my cousins, they screamed. My aunt Jenny threw a party. On 4-22-08 they flew in two helicopters, a Cobra and a Huey…SANDSTORM!!! They landed. My class asked a few questions. We went inside to have a brunch. I sat between two Marines. Then we had cake. We went back outside and they took off…HUMONGOUS SANDSTORM!!! They looped back around once. I had a great day!

Written By:
Mary Katherine Bohanon

  
          It all started with our principal putting Collette Smith in Mrs. Largent’s class. You see, Collette’s dad, or should I say Major Smith is in the Marines. So…we became pen pals with Marines. We started by telling them about ourselves. Then, they wrote and answered the questions we had asked them in our letters. The next letter was sent around Christmas. We all drew pictures on the back of our paper. We kept writing. Then, on April 22, 2008 “Yea! USA , USA , USA ! Red Dogs!” everyone cheered. As we waited for the Huey and the Cobra to land somebody yelled “I hear something”. The crowd stopped cheering, they heard something too! Then, out from behind the trees a Huey and a Cobra right beside each other flew down. We walked around and looked inside the helicopters. We went inside to the media center. It had many tables covered in white cloths and a slide show was playing. When we walked in, the first thing we saw was food for us all. We started to ask questions and get autographs. We also ate some fruit and cake. After that we got to go back outside and watch them take off. I thought it was the best day ever!

Written By:
Celena Michaud

           
          Our second grade class did a really cool project this year. We wrote to the Marines and they finally came to visit! My Marine pen pal, Valerie Jelley, was there. When they came, they flew a Cobra and a Huey helicopter. It was so cool! Some of us got to go in the Cobra. Almost all of us got to go in the Huey. Next, we went to a brunch together. It was so good! Then all the kids got autographs from the Marines. I got 12. Finally, they had to leave. I was so sad. But, it was still great writing to the Marines.

Written By:
Maggie Enright

           
           I had a pen pal, it was a Marine. It was fun for us. We wrote letters to our Marines. I got to see them when they came on Tuesday. When we wrote the letters it lifted their spirits. One of the kids in my class put funny jokes in the letters. When they came to visit us, we got to eat with them and ask them questions. We got to spend a lot of time with the Marines. Have you ever had a pen pal? They said that they “were glad to get to meet us”. I am going to have another one!

Written By:
Julia Goren

            
          Our class was writing to Marine pen pals. Then our teachers decided, “Hey, it would be nice for them to meet the kids.” So, after that, they made a decision to have them visit. They planned out this BIG IDEA. Many people helped including moms and teachers. Most of the Marines landed in helicopters, but some had to come in a van. When the landing began, kids were screaming and everyone was excited. A really exciting thing happened at this point. The other second grade classes left, but we got to stay and ask questions. Soon we headed into the school. As we got in the media center, we ate brunch and got some autographs and asked some more questions. Out of all the things I did, my favorite part was making them smile.

Written By:
Paris Saunders