Third-graders meet pen pal Marine recruit

DOVER-FOXCROFT – For more than two months, about 20 third-graders at Morton Avenue Elementary School have been writing letters to a platoon of Marine recruits stationed at Parris Island, S.C.

On Friday, they came eye to eye with one of them, Timothy Gastonguay, 19.

In one sense, it wasn’t a surprise: His mom is the teacher, Lisa Gastonguay.

In another sense, it was a chance for the kids to learn and see up close some things they might not have imagined: “Everything that makes you comfortable at your house you don’t have,” Timothy Gastonguay told them.

He was dressed in a uniform of dark blue pants and a tan shirt. He wore a single red ribbon, which he explained was a National Defense Ribbon, given for being recruited during war.

Gastonguay was grilled for several minutes by curious 8- and 9-year-olds in awe of a flesh-and-blood Marine. “What kind of weapons do you use?” one boy asked.

Another pupil, Nicholas Decker, wore a camouflage jacket for the occasion. His classmates quickly revealed, however, that Decker wears the coat every day.

“I don’t think this will fit me when I’m 19,” he said, looking at Gastonguay, who stood tall and straight in front of him.

Then the real question came.

“Do you like it?” said a soft-spoken girl from the back of the classroom.

“I love it,” Gastonguay replied almost instantly. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,”

The 19-year-old has been in Maine for the last month working as an assistant in the Marine recruiting office in Augusta. “Recruiting is hard right now,” he admitted.

Gastonguay will be home until the day after Christmas. Then he will pack his bags and head to South Carolina for round two of his training. He said he plans to work as a data systems analyst once his training is complete, but might stay an infantryman if asked.

“I had a friend in high school who enlisted and he was really motivated, so I got thinking that this is for me,” Gastonguay said about his decision to join the U.S. Marine Corps.

Lisa Gastonguay hatched the idea to have her pupils start writing letters to the Marine recruits as a way to help the students and Marines. Her son told the children that the response has been wonderful.

“The guys are so happy; their faces light up,” he said. “It’s so important to have a connection to someone other than family. It’s nice to know that someone else cares out there.”

Gastonguay told the pupils a little about his training, specifically the hard work, the lack of sleep and the shock of being away from home.

After Gastonguay finished speaking, one student, Hannah Graham, said she could be a Marine.

“The uniforms are cool,” she said.

What about getting up at 4:30 a.m.?

“Well,” the 8-year-old thought for a bit. “I get up at about 8 now, but I could do it.”

Lisa Gastonguay said the pen pal program has been a hit so far, both for the students and Marines. Having her son come in for the holidays was an even bigger hit with her.

“It’s nice to have him home for Christmas,” she said.