Third Grade students at Woodbury helped pack up seven Woodbury Cares packages to the service men and women in the platoon of their teacher, Petty Officer Richard Ortega, who is serving in Afghanistan.
Woodbury students created care packages for their teacher, Petty Officer Richard Ortega, and members of his platoon currently serving in Afghanistan.
“Each grade brought a different item,” said Jackie Hernandez, third grade student who helped pack the boxes. “We had to keep going back to the post office to get more boxes!”
The care packages contained gum, candy, drink mixes and other snacks. The students had all read stories about life in Afghanistan and the life on a military base in the area. The second, third and fourth grade students created questions and typed letters to the troops. The letters were included along with the food and drink mixes in the Woodbury Cares packages.
Kindergarteners and first grade students decorated kites and sent special wishes to the troops. Flying kites is one of the popular pastimes of children in Afghanistan.
“Mr. Ortega should be the most popular guy around when he gets those packages,” said Sue Cahill, who helped organized the project. He will have enough packs of gum and Lifesavers to share with hundreds of friends!”
Ortega is slated to return to the United States in September or October of this year. He serves as a Petty Officer in the Sea Bees Unit of the United States Navy.
