From Valley View School District:
Two months ago when Judy Rehr’s third-grade Challenge students at R.C. Hill Elementary School in Romeoville wrote letters to former Hill student PFC Nicholas Alexander at Marine Corps boot camp in California, they had no idea they would meet him someday.
On Monday morning, PFC Alexander returned the favor with a surprise visit to the class, talking to them about everything from his life in boot camp to his goals for the future. With him were his grandmother Blanche Smith, who is a crossing guard at Hermansen Elementary School in Romeoville; his grandfather Charlie Smith; his mother Gayle Smith Alexander, who is a former kitchen staff member at Oak View Elementary School in Bolingbrook and a graduate of Romeoville High School; and his father Jeffrey.
“It was nice to get their letters because the only letters I was getting were from my parents and my girlfriend,” said the 23-year-old, who attended Hill from kindergarten through fifth grade and Martinez for all of sixth and part of seventh grade before moving to Minooka. “A lot of them asked about me and if I was scared and they said they were proud of what I was doing. I didn’t have time to write back so I wanted to come here and surprise them,” PFC Alexander added.
Among questions the class asked on Monday:
- Do you ever miss your family? “Yes. It’s like going on a trip without your family only you’re thousands of miles away.”
- What do you do in boot camp? “A lot of gym class-like training. But it’s like a gym class you wouldn’t like. We do a lot of running. There’s a lot of classroom training too.”
- What was it like when you went? “At first it wasn’t very fun because it was a shock after being able to do whatever you want. It’s not an easy thing to get used to. After a while you learn to deal with it.”
- Do they yell at you a lot? “It’s like getting yelled at by your parents but you have three or four of them in your face.”
- Where do you live? “It’s kinda like living in a big gym with bunk beds and 76 other guys.”
- What do you miss when you’re gone? “I miss my mom’s cooking. I miss sheets that fit on your mattress. I miss being able to sit down and relax.”
- When did you decide to do this? “I wanted to do it when I was in high school. My dad was a Marine and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. But when I graduated, I wanted to go to college so I could have a path to a better life for a family when I have one.”
- Have you been injured? “No. Just a lot of sore muscles.”
PFC Alexander is home on leave for a week before returning to Camp Pendleton in California and subsequently heading to Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri. Once he has completed his training, he hopes to complete his college degree before he fulfills his six-year active duty and two-year inactive duty commitment to the Marines.
“I’m not sure what I want to do after that,” he said.