May 09, 2009 - 04:25 AM

By Crystal Crimi

BOWMANVILLE -- Bearing gifts of scorpion keychains and volcanic rock, a Canadian soldier met with his Bowmanville pen-pals after returning from Kandahar.

Officer First Class Derrick Nearing, a physician assistant who just finished his second eight-month tour of duty in Afghanistan, attended Dr. Ross Tilley Public School recently to personally meet the students who wrote him while he was overseas.

"It had a great impact," said teacher Kent Miller following the visit. "One thing I noticed is they listened and paid attention more to him than they ever did to a teacher."

Students in Mr. Miller's Grade 4/5 class began writing to those in Afghanistan through The Chosen Soldier Project. Mr. Nearing received letters from Holden Charles and Connor Townshend, and wrote back, offering to visit the school upon his spring return. Mr. Nearing lives in Pembroke, near Petawawa.

"We thought it was cool that he was going to visit from the other side of the world," Holden said. "It was cool he spoke to us about his experience in Afghanistan."

"I'd never seen a Canadian soldier in uniform," Connor said.

In his letter, Holden asked what it's like in Afghanistan, what they do there, and what they like to eat.

"He said he saw a green goat once," Holden said.

People paint their goats to identify them as their own, Holden said Mr. Nearing wrote in his letter.

Meeting Mr. Nearing in person and hearing his stories made Holden realize something as well.

"Sometimes, you think they're cool and they have cool guns and stuff," Holden said, but now he realizes how serious it can be, he added.

It will make him think differently of Remembrance Day.

"We have to think about how it's serious and how some soldiers died," Holden said.

Mr. Miller got his class involved to teach the students about a different country in a general way.

"One of the girls asked him 'when do you feel safe?'; he said, 'When I'm home in Canada,'" Mr. Miller said.

Mr. Nearing has been in the Canadian military for more than 30 years and served in many places including Rwanda and Bosnia, Mr. Miller said.

"He understands when he goes overseas, he can't solve all the world's problems," Mr. Miller said, adding, he focuses on solving the problems that face him then, such as keeping people alive.

Other soldiers responded to the letters too and sent replies, pictures, and one even sent a girl a kite lost by an Afghanistan child that ended up in the Canadian camp.

"She was really pleased and excited," Mr. Miller said. "It's been an exciting year for the kids."

"He told the kids, the greatest thing for him is knowing he's helped people," Mr. Miller said.

Next year, he hopes to pair his class with one in Afghanistan to pen-pal with, then set up a website to contact classes around the world. Mr. Miller wants to send each one a rock with a Canadian flag painted on it and request they send back one with their flag, so they can start an international stone garden.