MORGANTOWN — While Lt. Suveer Shekhawat was in Afghanistan, sixth-grade students from South Middle School wrote about 200 letters for the troops – which he then air dropped to soldiers on the ground at a remote Afghan airfield.
Shekhawat, a former South Middle student, said those letters really meant something to him and he wanted to show the students that even though they’re young, they still had an impact on the world.
“You sent the letters and we didn’t just like, they’re not just sitting a barrel,” he said. “We did something with it. They went somewhere and you have a worldly impact. As a sixth grader, you wrote that letter and it made it to Afghanistan and it got dropped out of a C-130.”
Before the letters fell thousands of feet to the ground, Shekhawat said he and his roughly 60 squadron mates made sure to read every letter.
This week Shekhawat, a C-130 pilot, made another delivery. He presented his former school with the American flag that was flying during the letter drop mission and a certificate signed by the members of the crew. He also spoke to the students about how dreams start early and how everything builds towards that dream – even when you’re in the sixth grade.
Emma Plum, 11, said she thought it was cool they read every letter. She was also surprised to find out how long it takes to become a pilot – about two years between regular flight school and C-130 specific training.
