Students of La Contenta show appreciation for Combat Center Marines

Photo By Cpl. Julio McGraw | Cpl. Medina Ayala-Lo, combat correspondent, Headquarters Battalion, receives students’ letters from Don Henry, a teacher at La Contenta Middle School, during a visit to answer student’s questions in Yucca Valley, Calif., Nov. 30, 2016. Henry coordinates the event annually in an effort to teach his students about the military while giving them a chance to show their appreciation in the form of letters. (Official Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Julio McGraw/Released)  

YUCCA VALLEY, CA, UNITED STATES

11.30.2016

Story by Cpl. Medina Ayala-Lo 

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center

YUCCA VALLEY, Calif.— Marines with the Combat Center’s Public Affairs Office visited La Contenta Middle School to answer student’s questions and receive letters of support, Nov. 30, 2016.

Don Henry, a teacher at the middle school, coordinates the event annually in an effort to inspire a sense of patriotism in the students while also providing them an opportunity to show their appreciation for members of the military.

“I was in the Army when I was in my early twenties and it gave me a huge sense of patriotism,” Henry said. “My students write letters that can and have made a difference to people who are serving. I teach my students before they write that freedom isn’t free, it’s payed for. Whether the Marines are deployed around the world or on base, if they read letters from middle school students about who they are and what they do, it could lift their spirits.”

• Date Taken: 11.30.2016
• Date Posted: 12.01.2016 14:10
• Story ID: 216147
• Location: YUCCA VALLEY, CA, US