Scouts' letters touch Marine and spark his visit to Eagle

Posted: November 7, 2007

By CAROL SPAETH-BAUER Staff Writer

During his recent seven-month deployment in Iraq, numerous letters and care packages from Cub Scouts in Pack 54 kept U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jason Smith going. So, just weeks after returning home, Smith made a trip from where he is currently stationed in Cherry Point, N. C. to Eagle Elementary School Nov. 1 where he personally thanked the Scouts for the letters and care packages.

"It's not all the time you feel the appreciation because it's so far away," Smith told about two dozen boys. "You guys did an excellent job in making us feel appreciated. It really helped us do our job."

When visiting his wife's family in Chicago, Smith and his wife Janet drove to Eagle because Smith wanted to meet the people who would do something like this for someone they didn't even know, his wife said.

The unique relationship started in March when the Pack "adopted" Smith after getting his name through Hugs from Home, an organization formed to provide support for troops while away from home. The Scout project started when Cub Master Amy Rosno wanted the boys to understand the war and show appreciation to the men and women who were sacrificing so much. To make the experience more meaningful, Rosno wanted a soldier's name. After much Internet searching she discovered Hugs from Home.

"Hugs from Home provided the name and Pack 54 provided the support Sgt. Smith was hoping for," Rosno said.

Smith started the evening telling the pack about Iraq, about war, about the Marines. He even threw in a brief workout Marine-style with jumping jacks and pushups, although the group had to forgo the 3-mile hike because of time and space constraints.

After all the letters to Smith, the Scouts still had one more gift for him. First presenting a bouquet of flowers to his wife, Rosno then handed Smith a large gift bag and the group watched as Smith pulled out a Green Bay Packer sweatshirt and a cheesehead, which he modeled for the boys.

"I definitely feel like a cheesehead," said Smith, who hails from Colorado.

Then it was Smith's turn to give something to the pack. His voice filled with emotion as he thanked the boys for the letters, "so many that it kept me going." He presented the pack with a flag, which had been flown while on a mission in Iraq.

To end his visit, Smith shook each boy's hand and gave each an Operation Iraqi Freedom U.S. Marine Corps badge and Iraqi currency.

While Smith posed for pictures with the Scouts and their families, Janet Smith talked about what correspondence from home means to military personnel stationed overseas.

"Mail call is the highlight of the day," she said. "When they get a box, it's like Christmas and they share with everyone."

To learn more about Hugs from Home, visit www.hugsfromhome.org.