Reservist puts face on war in Iraq for elementary pen pals

Veterans Day celebrations extended an extra week at Bemiss Elementary School.

After one class became pen pals with U.S. Army reservist Staff Sgt. Paul Fothergill stationed in Iraq, Bemiss invited him Friday to be honored at a schoolwide assembly.

Fothergill is a member of the 3rd Battalion of the 116th Armor Calvary Regiment, and he did a seven-month tour in Iraq. While stationed there, he answered students’ letters, sent them old Iraqi currency and even called a class to talk by speakerphone.

Before and after Friday’s assembly he answered questions from wide-eyed students. Just before walking into the packed gym full of grade schoolers, the resident of La Grande, Ore., a grandfather and native of Queens, N.Y., leaned over and said to a spectator, “I’m a terrible public speaker.”

His wife and two daughters all agreed that Fothergill was more nervous about speaking in front of hundreds of students than being shipped out to Iraq. He worked mainly behind a desk keeping track of ammunition shipments, he said.

“I don’t know if I deserve the title of hero. I feel like I was just doing my job. The real hero is my wife,” Fothergill said to the students sitting on the gym floor. “The Army is actually made up of a lot of everyday people.”

Fothergill asked students if they had any questions, and three dozen little hands shot in the air. They asked if it was hard fighting enemies in Iraq. Another grade school student asked how he could prepare himself to join the Army.

“The best thing you can do is do a good job in school,” Fothergill said.

He took several more questions, but as time ran out some questions went unanswered. One teacher, seeing how disappointed student DJ Gilmartin was, placed her hands on the boy’s shoulders and guided him to the soldier.

The sergeant leaned down and DJ asked, “What was it like over there?” and “Were you scared?”

Again Fothergill gently went over details of going to Iraq and supporting the men who went door-to-door like policemen in Iraq.

“They want to know what it’s like fighting in a war,” said Fothergill’s daughter, Brandy Singer, a Spokane resident.

On the way out of the gymnasium and on his way to a classroom for more questions, Fothergill stopped to shake hands with the building custodian, Gary Bel. A 1966 North Central High School graduate, Bel was drafted into the Army six months after graduating and was sent to Vietnam, where he served in a reconnaissance platoon.

Bel was asked to come to the assembly, where he stood in the back and was singled out for honors and applause by all the students. He wasn’t prepared for the sudden attention.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Bel said.

Bemiss teacher Janice Petrin heard about Fothergill from her husband, who works with Fothergill’s daughter. Petrin mentioned she would love for her class to have an address for him. Last spring, students sent him letters in Iraq. He wrote back long detailed replies that explained his life overseas. He sent pictures showing Iraqi children and photos of where he slept and ate his meals.

“We’ve written people before, and they usually write a letter and say ‘Thank you,’ but to really take the time and explain the life and the area, I think it’s extraordinary,” Petrin said. “He deserved a hero’s welcome.”