The United States veterans, primarily those who served in World War II and Vietnam, were returning from a trip to the Washington D.C. memorials as part of the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight.
They were all still soaking in the experience of visiting the memorials with their fellow veterans when one last surprise was announced by the flight attendants.
Mail call.
Big envelopes were handed out to each veteran full of little notes, cards and pictures from children.
The reactions were heartfelt and emotional as the veterans read the letters from their own families, government officials and these young strangers they would never meet but were now connected to through the drawings.
Most of the veterans receiving the surprise mail had served during Vietnam and many had never received a thank you for their service until now.
“There was so much packed into those three days that you wouldn't believe it,” Vietnam veteran Pat Reher said.
She had gone on the trip with her husband, Mike, and one of her favorite memories was mail call.
“They had all these cool school kids from all over write letters to us,” she said. “We all got a big envelope full of little notes and cards and pictures from children from various schools thanking us for our service. That was really awesome.”
Heartfelt Thank Yous
The kindergarteners at Ralph Witters Elementary School in Thermopolis, Wyoming, are now part of that program. Under the direction of their teachers, they recently drew these thank you letters, with some taking the task more seriously than others.
“It's really fun to have the kids of any age do something within their developmental range for the veterans and they always take such pride in it,” kindergarten teacher Stephanie Boren said. “A lot of times the younger ones will work harder on something like a project for veterans than they will on other projects.
“They just seem to understand the importance of writing these letters.”
The students who had family connections to the military were especially enthusiastic about the project.
One student, Ethan, painstakingly recreated a tank that had meaning to his own family.
“He said that his grandpa drove a tank,” his kindergarten teacher, Ashley Cleare, said. “He knew the basics of how the tank works and explained it to me. It obviously made an impact on him when his grandpa told him stories about it.”
Cleare had explained to the students that they were going to draw a picture for veterans who had served our country by being in the military.
“I told the kids that these pictures are to tell the veterans thank you,” Cleare said. “It was a chance to let them know that we appreciate all the hard work that they do and for keeping us safe.”
Several students enthusiastically shared family stories with her as they drew their pictures and wrote their thank yous.
“They wanted to tell me about anything they know about the veterans which is pretty cool,” she said. “Some kids will just color a picture because that's the assignment, but kids that have knowledge of the military and know people who've served were really excited about the project.”
Mail call for the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight will include drawings from the kindergarteners at the Ralph Witter Elementary School in Thermopolis, Wyoming. The students drew the pictures based on examples presented to them from their teachers, their own imaginations and stories from their families about their own experiences serving in the United States military. (Courtesy Photo) 
Mail call for the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight will include drawings from the kindergarteners at the Ralph Witter Elementary School in Thermopolis, Wyoming. The students drew the pictures based on examples presented to them from their teachers, their own imaginations and stories from their families about their own experiences serving in the United States military. (Courtesy Photo) 
Mail call for the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight will include drawings from the kindergarteners at the Ralph Witter Elementary School in Thermopolis, Wyoming. The students drew the pictures based on examples presented to them from their teachers, their own imaginations and stories from their families about their own experiences serving in the United States military. (Courtesy Photo)
Personal Experiences
To Cleare, the project was especially meaningful because when she was younger, she was also able to participate in a letter drive for veterans.
“All the schools in Atlanta, Georgia, and surrounding areas would write letters and draw pictures to the veterans, and then they would mail them out,” she said. “I always liked doing that and thought that it would probably be nice to receive these pictures from a kid.”
Both of Cleare’s grandfathers served in the military.
Robert Collen served in World War II for the Navy and her grandpa, Derald Cheeney, was a mechanic in the Air Force who worked on planes. He never fought in a battle but had a close call while serving in the military.
“Grandpa Cheeney was supposed to be on a certain plane, and he had his best suit that was already on the plane,” she said. “But then for some reason, he got switched to another plane and the plane he was supposed to be on crashed as it was flying back home overseas.”
Ralph Witters Principal Nicole Ciz has her own personal connection to the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight program and is pleased that the kindergarteners could participate in the mail call.
A few years ago, her grandfather was able to go on the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight and it is a memory she cherishes now that he is gone.
“He was just so proud to be a veteran and so proud of his country,” Ciz said. “To get to go on that flight back to the memorials and be alongside some of his peers was so special to him. He was just beaming when he got home.”
Final Mail Call
Joe Winslow, the president of the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight program, said that the entire experience for the veterans is a way to thank them for their service.
The mail call is the added touch that they are not expecting and has caused many tears of gratitude over the years.
“Our Vietnam veterans didn't get much of a thank you or a welcome home,” Winslow said. “And so we make sure they get that on this trip over and over.”
The trip is held four times a year in April, May, September and October when the weather is most ideal for traveling. He is not only looking for veterans to apply but guardians to escort the veterans on the trip.
“We have 24 guardians that go on the trip,” Winslow said. “They each pay 500 bucks to go push wheelchairs and to take care of the veterans when they get there and they room with them at the hotel and so forth.
“All meals, airline transportation, the bus service that we use and the hotel is absolutely free to the veterans. They don't need to take a nickel with them.”
Mail call is the final gift to the veterans as they head home on the honor flight after visiting the memorials.
One lucky recipient, usually the oldest veteran, even receives an extra treat. The flight attendants cover his mail in bright red lipstick kisses and plant another kiss on his cheek.
“Mail call can be an emotional time for our veterans,” Winslow said. “Some wait until they get home to open their envelopes in privacy and others can’t wait to see what they got.”
For those wanting to participate in the mail call, Winslow said to mail any letters or drawings directly to him at 15956 Columbine St., Thornton, Colorado 80602. He also encourages any Wyoming veteran to apply.
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
