KIDS SAY 'THANKS' TO VETS PUPILS WRITE TO THOSE WHO SERVED COUNTY.Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer NEWHALL Newhall may refer to:
So, as in years past, Means decided to teach them a lesson on the federal holiday. Her third-graders read a book, watched a movie and went home to ask their families if there were any military veterans among them. They learned that veterans are many in number, often unrecognized for their service to the nation since they no longer wear uniforms. As the holiday neared, the children sat down to write letters to those who have served their country. ``Dear Veteran,'' begins a letter from Kevin KEVIN Keepers of the Eternal Vigilance of the Islamic Nation (fictional, from White Teeth by Zadie Smith) , as do most of the other messages from the class of 20 students. ``Thank you for saving our lives from our enemies and protecting our freedom,'' he wrote. With neatly stroked printing, on paper lined with dashes to separate lower-case letters from big ones, the children crafted their letters of thanks. ``I thanked them for saving the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. ,'' explained Alejandro Alejandro is the Spanish form of the name Alexander. Alejandro is also the name of these places:
``I thanked them for protecting us from enemies,'' said Alexandra Alexandra, 1844–1925, queen consort of Edward VII of Great Britain, whom she married in 1863. She was the daughter of Christian IX of Denmark. Alexandra Russian Aleksandra Fyodorovna orig. . ``I would like to thank you, good citizen, for saving California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). and innocent people's lives,'' wrote Andrea, ``thank you very much.'' ``Happy Veterans Day,'' some wrote in closing. ``Your friend,'' wrote others, before printing their names. Means said she dropped the letters into the school district mail Monday, sending them off to the Veterans Administration in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . In years past, her class sent letters to a branch of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and received a note back in response. Means said her own son served in the Army and she hoped the students learned from this lesson to ``take things in the United State a little less for granted.'' And she hoped the students understood ``why we enjoy the freedom we do.'' EXCERPTS OF LETTERS Dear Veteran, I thank you for fighting for our country. I think it was a very brave thing to do, risking your lives just for us. For all those people in the world you were one of those who decided to fight for us. Happy Veterans' Day Veterans' Day, holiday formerly observed in the United States as Armistice Day in commemoration of the signing of the Armistice ending World War I. Nov. 11 officially became Veterans' Day on May 24, 1954, by act of Congress. ! Sincerely, Allison J. Barstow Dear Veteran, I would like to thank you for risking your lives to protect our freedom. Thanks for saving our country from enemies, and fighting wars for us. Your citizen, Dino Dear Veteran, I would like to thank you for risking your life to save our country. Plus I like you because you saved us from our enemies. You fight wars for us that is good. From your friend, Raffi L. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Third-graders at Cedarcreek School in Canyon Country show copies of the individual thank-you letters they wrote to military veterans. (2 -- color) Linda Means' class wrote letters thanking military veterans for saving the country. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer Box: Excerpts of Letters (see text) |
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