Photo By Maj. Charles An | Students at Church Street Elementary eagerly wait for an autograph from Brig. Gen....... read more read more
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RIVERDALE, Ga. – The eyes of young third- and fourth-graders watched curiously at the uniformed men and women in their school library. The children knew the uniformed men and women were soldiers, but they were curious since they had never seen soldiers up close.
Some of the soldiers squatted down to the children’s level and met them eye to eye. Quiet at first, the children started to ask questions about the shiny badges and the different pins and ribbons on the each of the soldiers’ dress blue uniforms.
“What makes him the general?” asked Capt. Jacqueline Green, an aide de camp in the Army Reserve.
“He has a star!” yelled one of the children emphatically.
Brig. Gen. John Donnelly III, deputy commanding general for the 3rd Medical Command Deployment Support, took the time to visit with Church Street Elementary School to sign a Memorandum of Agreement Friday. The signing by the general, along with a partnered signing by the school principal Dr. Debra B. Smith, establishes a voluntary relationship between the Army Reserve unit and the school to enrich the education of the students in the school’s Partners In Education program.
“The community has supported us over many years, through Desert Storm, Desert shield, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom,” said Donnelly speaking from his experience. “This will give a chance for our soldiers to give back to the community and interact.”
Donnelly, who has served in the Army Reserve for 30 years, mentioned to Dr. Smith that his mother had been a teacher, and therefore, he understands the commitment needed to positively influence youths.
“The reason for this partnership is to bring the community and the school together to establish excellence with students to make sure they continue to develop into well-rounded citizens,” said Smith.
Smith has been the principal at Church Street Elementary for the past four years, served previously as assistant principal for three years and had her own children at the school for five of those years.
“I hope and pray the students will listen, follow instructions, apply the teaching in their daily living,” added Smith. “We can tell them, but to see the application of what they learn will tell us we have reached the goals of this program.”
“We’re very happy to be able to participate in the program and to be welcomed by the school as representatives of the Army,” said Donnelly.
The 3rd Medical Command Deployment Support is an Army Reserve unit is at Fort Gillem, located in Forest Park. They provide support and technical supervision for more than 7,000 soldiers located in 21 states and Puerto Rico, and currently has soldiers throughout the world, to include the Middle East and Afghanistan.
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 03.10.2014 19:37 |
| Story ID: | 121794 |
| Location: | RIVERDALE, GA, US |
| Hometown: | ATLANTA, GA, US |
| Hometown: | FOREST PARK, GA, US |
| Hometown: | RIVERDALE, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 648 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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