Fort Knox based soldiers visit local students for Read across America 2013

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
Story by Sgt. Thomas Duval

Date: 03.29.2013
Posted: 03.29.2013 21:04
News ID: 104344
Read Across America campaign

FORT KNOX, Ky. - "One fish, two fish, red fish blue fish."

These lyrics won’t be found in any Army cadence but on March 27, the soldiers from the 201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, were proudly reciting these words for the students of the Walker Intermediate School as part of President Obama’s Read across America campaign.

In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday and in a proclamation March 28, Obama directed everyone from all ages to “mark Read across America Day by celebrating stories that have shaped us.”

He further proclaimed “We take this opportunity to reflect on the trans formative power of the written word and lift up literacy as a key to success in the 21st century.”

To fulfill the wishes of the president, 12 Duke Brigade soldiers partnered with Dr. Ted Kreider, principal of Walker Intermediate School along with the students for a day of reading and one on one interaction.

“This was a great opportunity for students to get to see that the Army cares about the families of their battle buddies,” Pfc. Lawrence Jaeger, an Army truck driver assigned to the 201st BSB. “Soldiers get to give back to the community and have fun with the children.”

“We really appreciate the involvement of you guys [3IBCT] here at our school … having the soldiers here made the students’ day,” Dr. Kreider explained.

Sharing their principals appreciation, the students also took the time to thank the soldiers.

“Thank you so much for reading to us, I hope you enjoyed visiting with us,” said an excited sixth-grader, Ashli.

During the visit, the Fort Knox based soldiers spoke to the children about the importance of reading and doing well in school.

After reading through most of Dr. Seuss’ famous writings, the teachers and staff rewarded the soldiers with certificates of appreciation.

Although the certificate presentation signaled the end of the Dr. Seuss adventure, it signaled the beginning of a lasting relationship.

“This event brought the unit and its community together to positively promote a worthwhile cause. It was easy to do and the benefits for all were so great that it is an event I would recommend doing on a regular basis,” 2nd Lt. Colin Bennett said.