Permission Slip (2)
I went with my 14 year old on her field trip today. We arrived at the school about 8:45 for a 9:00 show time and there was no one in that part of the parking lot. About 5 minutes later, her teacher showed up, and I asked if we were in the right place since no one was there. She confirmed we were and we both waited patiently for others to show up. After a couple more minutes and just a little bit of worry by the small number of people that were mingling around, I asked how many folks they expected. She said they had originally hoped for 30, but over 80 had signed up which surprised both of the organizers. With only a few of us in the parking lot, I was skeptical about how many we would actually get.
Shortly thereafter, a steady stream of cars began flowing into the parking lot and by 9:00 when roll call began, we had 100 people present and ready to head down to the Army base for this very special service project. Right at 9:20, 25 cars headed South in a very loose convoy. At 9:45, we arrived at Gate 1, and we met up with an escort who would guide our convoy to the barracks where we’d be working for the next few hours. He was stunned by how many folks came, and we had so many cars, they opened up a special lane through the security inspection area. It took 15 minutes to get us through the gate, and we arrived at the barracks at 10:15.
When we arrived at our destination, the coordinators from the Army walked up in stunned silence as they looked at all of the volunteers that showed up. They had expected 30 people, and when all had arrived, we had 120 committed workers that wanted to help prepare the barracks for the troops that would begin arriving home from Iraq tonight.
For the next two hours our middle and high schoolers made beds, hung shower curtains, deployed gift baskets, and prepared the assigned rooms for the soldiers returning home from the war. I listened with pride as they talked about how cool it was to help, and I watched in awe as some of the team worked hard on a fence across the road to place in big letters, “WELCOME HOME FIGHTING EAGLES”.
We met the families of several of those coming home, and they were so thankful for the help. You could sense the excitement in their voices and see the strain of numerous deployments on their faces. And yet, they too joined with us in working hard to make the arrival something special for these troops returning home.
As we finished up the barracks preparation, we gathered in the parking lot for a picture to remember this moment of service. The local news station had a camera crew and news reporter on hand and they interviewed a couple of the students. I listened in on the conversations of those gathered, and I was inspired by the joy with which these kids came to serve. I was also overwhelmed by the numbers once again as I realized that a job that would have taken 5 or 6 hours was completed in just over 2.
We live in a military town, so it’s not unusual to see signs of support for our troops all over the city. But when 120 people show up to prepare the barracks in advance of the troops returning home, that’s something special and even those who routinely work with volunteers are floored by such an incredible showing of support.
I’m so proud of my 14 year old for both volunteering and realizing how special this act of service was. When middle and high schoolers realize the sacrifices made by our military and in their own special ways want to help in any way possible, we’re doing something right in this country and parents are doing something right in their homes.
I’m thankful to the teachers who saw this need at the military base and challenged their students with an act of service. I’m also thankful for the parents who supported and joined their kids on this special field trip. And I’m thankful for these teenagers who heard about a need and in overwhelming numbers joined together to make this homecoming for these heroes of our country something special.
As our soldiers begin arriving home this evening, I hope they feel the love and respect of all those who helped today. That would be special.