OHIO SCHOOLS Veterans return to tell of Iraq

Troop members have visited classes whose pupils sent them care packages.
NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio (AP) -- Like other U.S. conflicts, the Iraq war has created a new generation of combat veterans ready to tell their stories to wide-eyed schoolchildren.
Youngsters need to learn the meaning of sacrifice, said Ohio Army National Guard Spc. Andy Stefanik. Speaking at North Royalton Middle School in suburban Cleveland, the 23-year-old said he still looks up to World War II veterans.
"People say they can't imagine what we went through," Stefanik said. "We can't imagine what they went through."
The image is becoming familiar across Ohio as veterans and National Guard members wrapping up overseas assignments return home and are sought out as living history.
For nearly three hours, pupils questioned Stefanik and three fellow Guard members about the hardships of war.
"Did you ever feel like giving up?" asked one girl.
"At one point in time, everyone had that mentality," replied Spc. Patrick O'Donnell, 19, who serves with the Guard's 135th Military Police Company based in nearby Brook Park.
Kids sent gifts
Stefanik, O'Donnell, Spc. Caleb Schuster, 20, and Sgt. Joe Scavone, 23, all originally from North Royalton, made the visit because the pupils had sent care packages and letters to Iraq, where the men were training local police.
In Piqua north of Dayton, Army Spc. Robert Grau, 29, visited Bennett Intermediate School to thank pupils for their care packages. He also told them about being hospitalized for two months with a collapsed lung after a roadside bombing.
In the Youngstown area, Army 1st Lt. Jeremy James visited fourth-graders who had adopted him at SS. Mary and Joseph School in Newton Falls. Teacher Ann Cicero's pupils heard the hometown native was stationed in Baghdad, so they decided to send him letters, pictures and packages.
James explained the weapons he used, the training involved and the conditions troops endured.
Receiving letters and gifts from the children meant a lot to him and his unit, he said. "It was nice. It helped bring back morale."