AIDING TROOPS STUDENTS, TEACHERS READY TO HELP.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

VALENCIA - Students, teachers and veterans came to College of the Canyons on Tuesday bearing gifts of lip balm and movies in a collection drive for troops serving overseas.

``They're doing a job most people don't want to,'' said Regina Masucci, 20, who took time to write a letter to a soldier. ``Even if you don't agree with (the war,) it's still a nice gesture.''

The event, organized by student Brianne Miller, benefits Operation Gratitude, the Encino-based group dedicated to providing soldiers reminders of home through care packages.

Miller, who has several friends from Canyon High stationed around Baghdad, collected boxes filled with snacks, razors and other sundries with a grin. She was especially proud of one soldier who just returned from Iraq.

``He brought a couple of DVDs,'' she said, pointing at copies of ``The Usual Suspects'' and ``Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'' sitting in a box. ``It's like he's still thinking about them. That's great.''

Staff Sgt. Robert Franke, a local Army recruiter, stuffed a few dollars into a collections jar.

``When you get a package, it's uplifting,'' said Franke, who served in the first Gulf War and in Somalia during the 1990s. ``It helps morale.''

Besides the usual dry goods, Robert Brode, chairman of the college's Administration of Justice Department, included photos of his 4-year old grandchildren Nicholas and Caitlyn and the message, ``Thank you for keeping us safe!''

``It perks them up, especially in the situation they're in,'' said Brode, who served in Vietnam. ``They're playing a police role. It's really difficult.''

Miller said she is planning another collection drive in March. Meanwhile, she will yearn for the safe return of her friends.

``I have a friend who is going there soon,'' she said. ``One of the last things he said to me was, 'Don't let them forget about us.'''

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Student Brianne Miller mans her booth on campus to collect cash and goods for U.S. troops serving overseas.

(2 -- color) Brianne Miller, left, smiles as Staff Sgt. Robert Franke, an Army recruiter, drops money in her collection jar.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer