The first-graders at Sarah Dyer Barnes Elementary School got a special treat last week when Pfc. Alexander Frenze of the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division came to visit.
Back in December, the students made cards and wrote special messages of thanks and good wishes inside them, and shipped them off – along with some fun care package treats – to Frenze and his fellow soldiers serving overseas.
On Wednesday, Frenze stopped by to say hello and thank the students. He is the oldest son of one of the school’s PTO presidents, Bethany Littlefield, and has three younger siblings, one of whom attends school at Barnes.
“This is the person who received our cards earlier this year,” first-grade teacher Pam Alviti said.
Sitting in a chair in the cafeteria, Frenze answered questions from the students, telling them a bit about life in Kuwait, where it hit 140 degrees at night, and in Iraq, where 90 degrees at night seemed a cool relief. He told them a bit about his job in the Army.
“I work at a computer doing battlefield surveillance,” he said. “I try to figure out what is going on in the area and try to predict what is going to happen.”
Frenze came to Barnes in his work uniform, and received a lot of questions about it.
“It’s a new uniform, a multi-camouflage uniform that is good for the desert,” he said. “There are different uniforms for different branches of the military.”
As the students asked questions, Frenze described some of the various insignia found on his uniform, including several medals and patches – one of which indicates that he is certified to jump out of planes, a fact the students found amazing.
Frenze also described a typical day for the students.
“I usually worked 12-hour shifts, and in my time off I’d go to the gym or watch video games on my laptop or sleep,” he said.
Frenze received multiple questions about what his surroundings were like, regarding the habitat both inside of his living quarters and outside, right down to questions about what kind of bed he slept in, large or small, bunk bed or not.
He described his trip home from Afghanistan.
“It took us five days to transition back,” he said. “It was a very suspenseful time.”
His mother agreed.
“All of us at home were anxiously awaiting his return,” she said.
Before leaving, Frenze posed for a photo with the first-grade students and thanked them for all of their cards and messages.
“I looked at all your cards, thank you very much,” he said.
Following his visit in Rhode Island, Frenze will return to his military duties stateside, and is stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
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