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Ten-year-old Karl Danielsen is the first to tell you he
doesn’t much care for social studies.
“I have a 4.0 G.P.A.,” Danielsen, a Rocklin resident
said. “I think I don’t deserve it because I didn’t study
for the social studies test.”
The humble scholar at Valley View Elementary is unaware
he’s learning about social studies in a more meaningful
way, writing letters to a Marine during the war in Iraq.
“It keeps the people in the war kind of happier,” the
fourth-grader said.
The letter writing started in second-grade as an
assignment. Now two years later, Danielsen continues to
keep in touch with his favorite Marine, Master Sergeant
James D’Errico.
“I think it’s a great experience to get to know some of
the people that are protecting our country,” said
Danielsen.
During the troop surge of 2007, D’Errico loaded bombs
onto helicopters in the notoriously dangerous area
northwest of Baghdad called the Sunni Triangle.
“He and Karl just made a connection,” said Danielsen’s
second-grade teacher Lynn Wheeler. “They developed a
relationship.”
Danielsen may not have realized he was learning about
living history, civic responsibility and patriotism.
“I was happy we had all these brave people protecting
us,” he said.
D’Errico said at a very simple level the letters
provided a thank you for an often thankless, tough job.
“When it’s a child, who is very uncorrupted from the
negative sides of a war, it inspired me and kept me
going,” D’Errico said.
Danielsen’s letter writing touched the war hardened
Marine in a personal way.
“It really struck a heart string,” D’Errico said. “He
had an understanding of what was going on and what
sacrifices people were making on his behalf.”
“I liked that him and his friends were risking their
lives to help keep our country free,” Danielsen said.
He added a picture to one letter.
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