Students’ voices heard in Iraq

Students at P.S. 200 in Electchester are sure to brighten the holidays for one Queens soldier serving in Iraq.
After second-grade teacher, Gabrina Basile, read her class The Queens Courier Thanksgiving issue front-page story that profiled the &#8220big-brother” relationship between her class' volunteer Lenny Waxman, 63, and Samuel &#8220Sammy” Williams, 28, who is doing his second tour of duty in Iraq, the class decided it was going to make Williams' Christmas cards.
The students took out their pencils, paper and crayons and made cards with personalized messages to Williams.
&#8220I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and most of all that you are safe,” wrote Jenelle Combs. &#8220I wish that God is standing right next to you. I like people like you who fight for our country.”
Waxman, who is a retired electrician and volunteers at P.S. 200 every week working with Basile's class, met Williams through the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program of New York City 18 years ago, and the two have forged a friendship that they continue to this day.
Williams wrote last month from Iraq that &#8220Lenny is not just a Big Brother, he is family by the purest terms . . . there is nothing I could do in this world or the next to ever pay [him] back.”
Second-grader Rachel Sharma said that Waxman told her class all about Sammy, and she made him a card saying that she would e-mail him while he is still in Iraq.
&#8220I hope you come back soon,” Sharma wrote, even saying that she wants Williams to visit her class when he returns.
Waxman collected all of the cards from the students on Friday, December 22 and sent them in the mail to Williams.