Serving...in a special way

Nick Atherton was six years old when he first spent time in the classroom of Chris Hillis as a first grader at Southwest Elementary School. A little older and perhaps a lot wiser, Atherton revisited Hillis' classroom last week on a different kind of mission than he was on back in 1985.

Hillis has since moved to a classroom of third graders, and Atherton, now 30 years old and a 12-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, spent Veteran's Day 2009 back in her classroom, granting eight and nine- year-olds a greater appreciation for those who serve their country.

With a large duffle bag full of equipment and aids, Atherton, who is a staff sergeant with security forces in the U.S. Air Force, was a big hit with the students as he demonstrated to them what a soldier's life is like, especially while serving during war time overseas. The lessons came from one who knows. Atherton has completed three overseas tours, the first in Saudi Arabia early in 2002, returning in December of that year to Kuwait for a stretch of 149 days and most recently another tour in Saudi Arabia.

Atherton's last stint in Saudi lasted 186 days and each day was recorded by the placing of a tally mark inside the rim of his military-issued cap. As the third graders passed the cap around and counted the tally marks, the realization of Atherton's time away from home seemed, for many of them, to suddenly come to light.

The veteran represents the third generation in the Atherton family to serve his country. His father before him, Ron Atherton, as well as his grandfather, Pete Atherton, both served in the 1221st Transportation Unit of the local National Guard. The youngest of the veterans now has a son of his own, three-year-old Charlie. Asked if he anticipated Charlie to serve in the military some day in the future, Staff Sgt. Nick Atherton without hesitation said, "I'd be proud if he chooses to do so."

Students were afforded the opportunity to try on some of Atherton's military garb, including a bullet-proof vest that weighed more than many of the students themselves. Night vision binoculars were a favorite, as was Atherton's helmet that seemingly swallowed up the heads of the third graders.

"When we're fully equipped," Atherton told the class, "we carry about 100 pounds of gear."

Atherton took time to point out on the classroom globe just how far Dexter, Mo. is from where our soldiers are fighting overseas today, and once the "show and tell" portion of his appearance was complete, he fielded questions from the youngsters and was reminded in the process of how elementary minds work.

"Have you ever been to Antarctica?" asked one student, and from Colby, "Have you guys fought Russia yet?"

The guest was quick to explain that no, he had not visited Antarctica and to the Russian involvement question, he responded, "No, and I hope I never do!"

Millie wanted to know if the soldiers celebrate holidays when they're overseas, and Atherton explained that they do and then offered the third graders a lesson on why Veteran's Day is observed, providing them the history of Armistice Day and explaining the significance of the eleventh day, the eleventh hour and the eleventh minute.

A student then asked, "Was Vietnam real?" and a lesson in the reality of the Vietnam era ensued. "Yes," Atherton told the class, "Vietnam was very real."

"Where you fight wars, are there a lot of trees around?" asked Destiny.

The soldier responded, "Sometimes there are, but where we're fighting now, there is a lot more sand than trees."

Atherton has chosen a career in the military and will be eligible for retirement at the age of 42. Until then, he told the attentive group, "I'm proud to serve my country however I can. This life calls for a lot of sacrifice, especially when it means leaving my family behind for months at a time, but I love it."

For many of Hillis' students, Atherton's visit marked the first dialogue the children have had with what they referred to as "a real soldier".

"I believe my students have a much better understanding after talking with Nick," said Chris Hillis following his time in the classroom, "of what our soldiers sacrifice every day they serve. I think it really helped them to put a face with the news that they hear every day. It was a valuable lesson, and I was so grateful that Nick is so willing to come and serve us in another special way by returning to my classroom. He was a special little boy then, and he's a very special man today."