80 veterans respond to thank-yous

A veteran in Louisiana plans to frame the letter he received from Poland.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
POLAND -- Eight-year-old Zack Lamping read aloud as he sounded the typed words on a letter posted outside the North Elementary School office.
"Thank you very much for your letter," he read. "You were the FIRST person to ever send me a letter thanking me for my military service. I can tell you that I had tears in my eyes because of your kind words. Your letter means a lot to me, Zack."
The second-grader is one of dozens of pupils at North who have received letters from veterans over the past week. Pupils had mailed about 215 letters to 46 states and Australia as part of a Veterans Day project initiated by principal Mike Masucci.
They created quite a response.
Masucci said pupils have received 80 letters from veterans in 21 states, many including photos, coins or patches. Masucci said he reads each letter aloud to his pupils and posts them.
Zack's letter is from Michael D. Gilkerson of Illinois, a retired Air Force master sergeant who served in communications intelligence in Turkey, England, Vietnam, Italy, Taiwan, Japan and the United States.
Gilkerson writes that he posted a copy of Zack's letter on a private Web site that reaches more than "820 buddies who served in the 6924th Security Squadron during the Vietnam War."
As a result, Zack has received several letters, from places like Florida, Louisiana and Pittsburgh.
"This little boy gets more mail than the school," Masucci said.
How others replied
Many of the letters have come with patches representing various military units. Zack has framed the patches, but now he needs to get a bigger frame.
The letters hang among the others, many with photos attached or on the letterheads of various military associations.
One pupil received a letter from an 81-year-old man who typed his response on a computer. Another letter came from a Vietnam veteran in Louisiana who said he is going to frame the letter he received from Poland North and hang it over his desk.
Yet another came from a North Carolina man who included money so the class of the girl who sent him a letter could have a pizza party.
Hallie Saculla, a third-grader, received a letter from her grandpa, William Halase, the former chief of police in Campbell. He sent her two black-and-white photos taken in Hachinohe, Honshu, Japan. One shows Japanese culture; the other is of paratroopers.
Hallie, 8, said it's important to write letters to veterans, because "they like to hear thank-yous."
Ryan Wittenauer read his letter for the first time Tuesday.
"While we need brave young men to protect our freedom, we all should pray for peace on earth," he read aloud. "The most important thing now is for you to get a good education to prepare you to make a difference in the world of tomorrow."
He smiled when he got to the part about Art Smallenberger's dogs -- the last two were German shepherds.
When he finished the letter, Ryan was still smiling. "I liked it," he said.
Touching hearts
Ryan's letter came from Missouri. Smallenberger, it says, served as a Marine Corps sergeant, stationed as a "top secret guard" at the Naval Air Weapons Station at Point Mugu, Calif.
For safety reasons, Masucci noted, the veterans were sent only the pupils' first names and the school's address.
"And one person can make a difference," he said, referring to Zack's letter. "That man had never been thanked before. So that boy, Zack, made a difference in that man's life."
Gilkerson, who wrote his letter to Zack just before Veterans Day, closes his response by telling the boy, "I'm proud to be your friend."
"When I attend the Veterans Day parade tomorrow ... I will pray for all the veterans and my good friend Zack. Thanks again, buddy. You really touched my heart with your letter."