Having been on the other side of the world in the desert among machine guns, land mines and the horrors of war, Sergeant David Stevenson does not surprise easily.
However, what he witnessed at a school in Queens nearly left him speechless.
“I’m shocked,” said Stevenson. “And completely overwhelmed by everything I saw here today.”
After two tours of duty in Iraq, Stevenson returned home to a hero’s welcome from P.S. 96 in South Ozone Park on Monday, April 19.
The soldier, and Queens Village native, had been exchanging emails with the school’s fifth grade class during his second tour beginning this past August. They also sent him care packages, hoping to raise the spirits of him and his fellow soldiers.
Not only did the support of the children raise their spirits, it also reminded the troops why they were there in the first place.
“We were 7,000 miles away and the emails and packages reminded us what it is like in the U.S. and why we were doing what we were doing,” said Stevenson. “The support helped us to feel like we weren’t forgotten.”
The kids never forgot Stevenson, as at times his email would be loaded with dozens of messages from students asking questions ranging from what he ate to where he slept.
Stevenson replied to every email he received, no matter what time of night it was or how tired he felt. He said that since they took the time to write the questions, they deserved a prompt and detailed response.
“I got an email from a young Muslim student that wanted to know if we were over there to kill Muslims,” said Stevenson. “I assured her that we were not there to kill Muslims. We made friendships with the Iraqi people. Soldiers are not instruments of war; we are instruments of peace.”
The sergeant’s wife, Maya, and his mother, Karyn Stevenson, were also on hand to watch the children’s presentations and to feel their support.
“Interacting with a soldier gives the children a deeper understanding and a better sense of geography and social studies,” said Karyn Stevenson a retired principal from P.S. 183 in the Rockaways. “This has been a real eye opener for the students.”
Stevenson comes from a family with a storied military history. His father served in Vietnam, his sister is currently enlisted in the Navy and stationed in San Diego, and his grandfather, Dudley Waddell Stevenson, was a member of the highly decorated Fighting 99th, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
“I chose the Marine Corps because it was the hardest thing to do,” said Stevenson. “There is a lot of honor and courage in what I do, but you still never expect a response like the one they gave me here today.”
