Students of La Contenta show appreciation for Combat Center Marines

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.”