Soldier in Iraq Gets Summit Kids' Buckets of Happiness

The student’s in teacher Janet Gibney’s multi-age class at Summit’s Jefferson School have “filled a bucket” with happiness for someone who is far from home.

After a health lesson using the book, “Have You Filled a Bucket Today,” the students wrote letters to a friend’s brother, Second Lieutenant Thomas Morin, who is serving in Iraq. The lesson the book teaches is that by being kind and caring, you “fill another person’s bucket.” If you have a full bucket, you are filled with  happiness.  And the way to fill your own bucket is by filling other people’s buckets.

(The reply from Second Lieutenant Morin)  

Dear Mrs. Gibney and Class,

Today I received all of your letters, and what a pleasant surprise it was! That is probably the coolest thing I have gotten from home since I have been here. I really appreciate all of your support, it helps me remember why I am serving.

Despite the different weather and climate (it is very hot and dry!), Iraq is not always so different from the United States when you get down to it. They have highways, American-made cars, shopping stores, and kids going to school, and even kids with Sponge Bob Squarepants t-shirts just like in the US.

Iraq has really come a long way, and although there are still criminals out there doing bad things, for the most part this country is on its way to becoming a thriving, prosperous nation.

I am doing well, and am quite safe and sound, thank you all very much for your concern, and I will be sure to wear my headset when I am outside the wire. I am doing a lot of work now with the howitzers (big cannons), planning illumination fires at night that brighten up the ground so that we can see terrorists planting bombs and rockets and capture them.  

I am very excited to be coming home soon. My unit will be leaving Iraq in early December, and I will be one of the last combat soldiers to leave Iraq.  I hung all of your pictures and letters up on the wall behind my desk (see attached picture) so that I can see them every morning when I come in to work.  Thank you very much for thinking of me. I will have to come visit you all when I get back home.

Respectfully,

Thomas P. Morin2LT, FA