Army soldier shares his Middle East experiences

  • Jennifer Aaby<br>Enterprise writer
  • Monday, March 3, 2008 9:57am

Exchanging letters with a soldier serving overseas is exciting enough –– but meeting the soldier upon his return from the Middle East is thrilling.

Students in special-needs classrooms at Heatherwood Middle School had the opportunity to do just that when Pfc. Darren Droullard visited with the students and celebrated with cake, ice cream and watermelon.

The students sent letters and photos –– including individual shots of each student wearing a Navy uniform –– that Droullard received part-way through his six-month stint with the Army in Kuwait.

“(The students) were just thrilled,” said Margy Ordell, a special-needs teacher.

They learned to properly salute, with their hands turned slightly so only the backs show. They each received a Kuwaiti coin from Droullard, who was crisply dressed in his camouflage.

Droullard, who was raised in Silver Lake and is a Cascade High School graduate, shared details that surprised the students and stirred up further questions.

“Water was worth more than oil to them,” Droullard told the students. “Pop was far less. It wasn’t nearly as expensive.”

In fact, a bottle of water cost roughly $10, he said, much to he amazement of the students.

But the value in Droullard’s visit was seen in the response from the children.

In particular, one student, whose cousin died while serving overseas, has recently been able to open up about his loss. He wrote a poem about his cousin, which he shared with Droullard.

It’s special moments like this that are fulfilling for Ordell.

“I’ll never forget it,” Ordell said.

“Darren told him ‘I know how you feel.’”

Alexa Meeker, 12, made Droullard a thank-you card and gave it to him after his visit.

She said she enjoyed hearing his stories, and she was especially happy to hear the classes’ letters arrived around Christmas time.

“That was awesome,” Meeker said.

Droullard is the nephew of Ken Collins, Heatherwood’s security officer. Collins introduced the idea to Ordell and the students, who ran with it.

Receiving support from the children and friends and family was important for Droullard, he said, as it is for all people serving their country.

“Anything from home helps so much,” Droullard said.

Droullard, who now lives near Longview and is in his 30s, spent time responding to a lot of unanswered mail while he was in Kuwait. He said he was more than happy to exchange letters with new people and answer questions about serving in the Middle East.

Ordell said she enjoys inviting community members into her classroom so her students can learn from others in a hands-on way.

“It’s so important for the kids to see the community, to not just talk about it,” Ordell said.

The students, who often have behavioral problems or learning disabilities, really remember the visitors, she said. Because of this, she tries to maintain an open door.

“Those magic moments in our room are very special,” Ordell said.

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