By JOSEPH KELLARD
This was the scene at Kathy Scheiner¹s third-grade classroom at the Island Park school, where, last December, her students first began writing letters to McQue, a specialist in Company B of the famed Fighting 69th, which was stationed in Iraq. The unit had returned home two weeks before, on Sept. 16, from its 10-month tour in Baghdad, and McQue was making good on his written promise to visit the students at his elementary alma mater.
³I was waiting so long to finally meet him, I can¹t believe he¹s here,² said student Peter Lambton.
After telling the boys and girls how grateful he was for their letters, McQue, 21, fielded their many questions. They ranged from whether he had ever flown a helicopter to why he joined the military to what he missed most while overseas.
After explaining that he had flown in but never piloted a helicopter, McQue said he joined the military to help pay for his education at John Jay College, where he studied criminal justice for two years before he was deployed to the Middle East. But there were other reasons. ³It got me in shape,² he laughed, then, turning serious, added, ³But actually, I just wanted to be able to do something for the people who walked before me in the military.²
McQue emphasized that he missed being with his family most, and noted that items sent to his barracks to remind him and his fellow troops of home, such as a Christmas tree during the holidays, ³just wasn¹t them,² he said.
In addition to their monthly letters, the Hegarty students sent McQue Valentine¹s Day cards and various snacks. ³The food kind of came at a bad time, because I was on a diet,² he joked.
He detailed some of his daily routine, which often began with a 5 a.m. wakeup and involved walking patrols wearing heavy equipment, even when temperatures hit as high as 130 degrees.
After being deployed to Kuwait at the start of Company B¹s 16-month Middle East tour, McQue was initially assigned the task of preparing armor for vehicles. Later, he assumed different duties, from supplier to gunner to radio operator to intelligence gatherer. While his unit¹s main duty was to ensure security for vehicles en route to Baghdad International Airport, other assignments included providing security for the Iraqi elections last Jan. 30.
³Have you ever saved anyone?² one boy asked McQue. When discussing military matters, such as the horrors his armored vest protected him from, McQue cautiously kept his answers understated. After explaining the rescue training he received in Kuwait, he simply said, ³I had to use my training a few times, but nothing too serious.² Later, McQue said about certain details of war-torn Iraq, ³I sort of try to forget it.²
Scheiner and Diane Hart, McQue¹s third-grade teacher, who coordinated both the students¹ pen pal campaign and his welcome-home party, had the students unveil an American flag they set in a cherry wood frame for him. Fourth-grader Briana Kranz read to McQue from a plaque accompanying the Stars and Stripes: ³This flag is presented to Specialist Keith McCue. It has flown in our classroom every day that you spent in Iraq. As we worked hard to become fourth graders, you worked hard to keep us free. With love and appreciation, your friends at Hegarty School.²
³[Keith] called me afterwards, started reading the words on the plaque, and choked up,² wrote McQue¹s mother, Janet, in an e-mail to the Herald from her home in Florida.
As teachers, students and McQue took a break from the questions to eat cake and drink Hi-C together, some students reflected on what the specialist meant to them. ³He impressed me because he showed the courage to go into the war,² said Richard Ruiz.
Despite Scheiner¹s posting of photos of McQue in Iraq in her classroom last year, Briana said she was surprised that he had no hair, referring to his fresh buzz cut, and that he was bigger than she expected him to be. Lia Stoupas seemed more taken by McQue¹s actual physical presence. ³It was so exciting to see him in our school,² she said.
Echoing sentiments from his original letter to the students ‹ such as how they ³put a big smile² on his face and gave him ³extra energy² ‹ McQue said, ³Any time I got mail, it was something special. The kids¹ letters made me laugh ‹ they were great. How could they not? Kids are kids.²
McQue¹s enlistment expires in 2007, and he expects to stay in the states until then, after which he plans to return to John Jay. While a career choice remains up in the air, he told the students, ³I always wanted to be a police officer.²
³The news always reports of the trouble and problems with our youth,² Janet wrote. ³Well, here¹s a group that deserves recognition and praise for their caring for someone they had never even met ‹ and [what] patriotic spirit [they showed]!²
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
