Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Staff photo by Gregory Rec
Abby Gummoe examines a medal on Snuggly the bear Tuesday as Samantha Gummoe pins on a medal at South Portland's Greater Portland Christian School. The bear was sent to Iraq with Samantha's uncle.
photo
A soldier sent this photo of Snuggly to students in the first grade at Greater Portland Christian School. The bear was returned to the class on Tuesday.
SOUTH PORTLAND - Sitting in his tan camouflage fatigues next to two soldiers recently home from Iraq, the bear known as Snuggly was a model of stoicism as photos of his time overseas flashed before the assembled crowd.
"I think this bear saw a lot more action over there than I did," Sgt. David DeRienzo said Tuesday, referring to his furry, one-time travel partner.
Snuggly, DeRienzo and Sgt. Matthew Green were welcomed back from their time in Iraq at the Greater Portland Christian School, where students, parents and teachers learned about the teddy bear's adventures throughout the Middle East and Europe.
The event was also the unveiling of "Operation Battlebear," a book featuring photos of Snuggly's tour, as well as letters to soldiers from students and the replies they received.
"You brought a little bit of us into your world to see what was happening," said Nancy Strout, whose first-grade class wrote to the soldiers.
For the last three years, students in Strout's class have picked out a bear to send to cities across the United States. When a group of kindergarten students came to her class last year, one asked if they could send the bear to DiRienzo, her uncle who was serving in Iraq.
DeRienzo, a member of the Maine Army National Guard's Security Force 1, returned on March 9 after a year of escorting convoys and protecting travel routes around Iraq.
Security Force 1 was composed of about 170 soldiers from various units around the state, and was stationed in Baghdad and Tallil.
A graduate of Greater Portland Christian School, DeRienzo said he thought the program would be a good way for soldiers to stay connected with people at home.
"When I agreed to take the bear, I thought it would be a good way to meet girls," he joked.
Snuggly even accompanied DeRienzo on a two-week leave when he visited France and Italy.
DeRienzo said people jumped at the chance to write to the students; he was surprised to see how one teddy bear could change people's demeanor.
"You get all the reminders of what it's like to be at home," he said of the students' letters. "To finally be here, it's incredible."
Samantha Gummoe, DeRienzo's niece, said she "thought it would be a good idea" to send Snuggly and the letters to her uncle and his fellow soldiers.
She said she's glad to have her uncle and Snuggly home.
Strout said the program was a chance for students to learn some geography and see what other cultures are like. They got to know the soldiers and prayed for them each day.
By featuring the letters with soldiers, the book offers a different view of the war, she said. "It gave them a chance to voice their questions," Strout said.
Indeed, students' letters asked straightforward but sometimes complex questions, such as, "I like the suits you wear. What do you do when you run out of bullets?" and "I hope you win the war. Is it fun to be in the Army?"
"Operation Battlebear" is published by Student Treasures, a company that encourages students to write by helping schools publish works. The books will be available to order through Student Treasures and Greater Portland Christian School.
All of the students in Strout's class received the Iraqi Campaign Medal and a special plaque as a token of appreciation from the Army. They also received a slice of cake and juice.
Christina Conant said her daughter Arikah got to "learn about the war in a way that's appropriate for a first-grader."
Arikah said she was happy Snuggly made it back and excited about her new medal.
"Yeah, it's my first one," she said with a big grin.
Staff Writer Justin Ellis can be contacted at 791-6380 or at:
Reader comments
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The Greater Portland Christian School is where the class was located. They approved of this exercise. The grownups who run the school ought to be able to see how manipulatively pro-war this appears (and is). I assume they're fine with that. Fine, it's a free country - but I'd never send my kids to that school, and if I was one of the parents I'd howl to the administration about it and remove my child.
So no, of course I don't think my post was planted by the Bush administration. But I'll bet you were.report abuse
Your post,my quotation marks
Arthur Riddick of Portland, ME
Apr 4, 2007 3:58 PM
MissKelly, take a deep breath. Of course the kids are innocent. They can't possibly understand what's going on.
It's the adults that are exploiting them: their teachers, parents, "Greater Portland Christian Schools," and Student Treasures. They are sanitizing this war for children.
Maybe the Bush administration planted that post.
report abuse
True Christians don't support torture, mass murder, lies, hypocrisy, economic rape, or the illegal occupation of Iraq. And neither do most of the citizens of our country, if you care to examine public opinion polls. So what would lead you to the conclusion that I have anything against Christians or the U.S.?
On the contrary, if you support these things, then I think it's you that has something against Christianity and the United States. So where do you stand on them?report abuse
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