Soldier visits Gilliam School students to say 'thank you'

Students in Ms. Beaman's class at Gilliam School view a slideshow of pictures taken by Ted Shady, right standing, during his deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. Shady visited the children on Thursday, April 30, to thank them for sending care packages and letters to him and other soldiers stationed abroad. (Sydney Stonner/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Around Christmas last year, students in Ms. Beaman's class at Gilliam School sent a care package to Ted Shady, a soldier stationed in Afghanistan. On Thursday, April 30, the students got a present themselves -- Shady, along with his daughter, Clara Arth, came to visit the kindergarteners and first graders. Arth's son, Logan, is a member of the class as well.

Shady brought a slideshow of photos to give the children a better understanding of the Middle East. He had pictures of native animals like spiders and lizards, photos of soldiers' tents and bunkers and aerial shots of the desert terrain.

He talked about the climate -- where temperatures can be 120 degrees or more -- and the soldiers, pointing out that he worked with troops from Britain, South Korea and Australia, not just the United States.

Shady told the children that he didn't keep the items they sent him all to himself, but rather gave some goodies to his fellow soldiers.

"Even at my age, we still share," Shady said. "We're one big family over there."

Arth mentioned that some soldiers started calling her father Santa Claus because he got and shared so many packages.

Shady also tried to explain the purpose of the wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan to the students.

"The reason the soldiers are over there is because of little boys and girls like you" who can't get to school safely and had never seen a soccer ball before, he said. "We're teaching them how to enjoy some of the better things in life."

As a gesture of thanks, Shady presented the class with challenge coins that read, "The Coalition Forces of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom present this coin for your contribution in history."

Challenge coins are coins bearing significant emblems that are given to all members of an organization to prove affiliation. According to Shady, a pilot in World War I was carrying a challenge coin when captured without other forms of identification; because he had the coin, however, he could prove he was an ally.

Shady, who lives in Iowa, plans to make other thank-you visits, to Columbia and Sedalia, during his time in Missouri, but he won't stay stateside for long.

"I will be going back," he said, though he just returned three weeks ago. "I just don't know where to."

Contact Sydney Stonner at marshallbusiness@socket.net