Dear Students,

Every soldier that fights for his county gives up everything to fight for what is right and the well being of our great nation.  Knowing that there are people back home that care about what America's soldiers are doing for our country make it worth what we endure on a daily basis.  The soldiers in this picture are just some of the few who wanted to show their thanks for your support.  These people have been away from their families and love ones for over 16 months, me included.

We were sent to Kuwait on what was to be a 6-month mission, and due to the need of more troops, that mission was extended to one year.  Well, as we were due to come home in April of 2004 after a very long year, we were stopped the day of our flight home and sent into Iraq to help give medical treatment to much needed areas in Iraq.  This came as a shock to all of us, but we knew in our hearts that it's what needed to be done, so we did it.  We still have about 50 people in Iraq, and they will be there until the end of August.  Then we are able to come back home.

We have all lost something during our deployment, some more than others.  These are things that we'll either get back or never needed.  One thing we know is that there are people like the South Vienna School students that care about our troops.  That means more to a soldier than anything in the world, and we all just wanted to say thanks for your support.

Thank Sgt. John J. Dillon and the 801st Combat Support Hospital