The week before Christmas, as some may know, is a week dedicated to showing our support for our troops, soldiers, and veterans. From the 19th of December to the 25th is “Thank a Soldier Week”.
Veterans are around to tell the stories of the days when they were once a soldier. They give us insight into what life as a soldier was like and once returning home, how it affected them. They deserve the thanks just as much as the soldiers do.
At Woodland High School there are two veterans part of the staff, Wayne Miller, the Auto/Metal Shop teacher and Mark Greenleaf, a PE teacher and coach. Neither one happened to know what “Thank a Soldier Week” was nor did they know how it started. “Thank a Soldier Week” started around 2005 during the CMAs when TownHall.com went backstage to get country singers and fans support and thanks for soldiers. TownHall.com choose to target the country music community because they are known to be the biggest supporters of our troops. If you look it up, you will find more results under country music and soldiers than any other category. However no matter the genre of music you listen to, the point was that TownHall.com wanted to get people sharing their thanks for soldiers and even veterans. These men and women have gone and done things like no other for our country.
Miller served for about four and a half years in the US Air Force. He joined for two reasons, to learn a trade and to travel. So throughout his time as a soldier, he learned how to repair the airframe, engines, and hydraulic systems on F-15 aircraft and he spent a year stationed in Iceland, two years stationed in New Mexico went on temporary duty to Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Nevada, Montana, Maine, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Utah, California, and was stationed in Idaho for a year and a half. During his time of deployment, he treated everyday life as a regular job and spent a lot of time making new friends. And with this, he gained the lifelong memory of being able to say “the squadron that I was assigned to was testing the bombs that eventually were used during the first Gulf War ‘Desert Storm’.” After coming back from deployment he learned to look at it differently. He said, “We are all so fortunate to have people volunteer for the military and have the risk of losing their life in training or in action just to have the right to be in a free country.”
Greenleaf served for four years, from 1974 - 1978, in the US Air Force. He joined because that was the way of living he knew. His father was enlisted in the Navy for over 20 years causing his family to have to move from Navy base to Navy base. Sometimes they lived in Navy Housing as well. Once high school ended both Greenleaf and his brother joined the Air Force. While serving Greenleaf believed in fighting for our country but that fighting spirit, it needs fuel to keep the flames going. So Greenleaf used to look forward to the mail his mom would send him, it “ took 3 months to get to me. She would send a Christmas package to me in September and I got it around Christmas time with stale cookies, reader digests, and Louis L'amour western books to name a few items. There were no cell phones and no computers, only mail. I got a letter once a month and it was already three months old. So that was something that kept me going besides making friends with those that were part of my unit or squadron” Greenleaf remembered from his time during deployment. After returning Greenleaf’s biggest takeaway from the military was discipline. He learned how important discipline can be, it could save someone's life from a military perspective, but in the classroom, it’s important “Because it's the little things in life that make the bigger things work or become important in what you are trying to achieve.”
Both these veterans have served for our country and deserve thanks and recognition for all they have done as soldiers for our country this December 19th during “Thank a Soldier Week”. There are many ways you can show your thanks through a thank you card, or care package to send to the troops. If you’re looking to share your support through a thank you card here is an option: Send A Letter | A Million Thanks. If you’d like to send a care package there are a few requirements. It must be a brand new, unopened item first of all. If you included cards they must be in unsealed envelopes for inspection. It’s good to include a photo of your group so the troops know where their goods came from and including $20 to Support Our Troops, Inc. will cover the shipping costs. On the box write your name, address, and phone number in case they need to get hold of you about the shipment. A trusted care package website is: Care Packages - Support Our Troops.
During “Thank a Soldier Week” give soldiers something special for the holidays and don’t forget your veterans too. They deserve thanks for all they do and have done for our country.
Woodland Public Schools