TUSTIN : Pupils Show Support of U.S. Troops

Children tied yellow ribbons to their wrists and ankles, pinned them on sweaters and fastened them in their hair Wednesday during a ceremony at Currie Middle School in support of American troops.

“We have lots of families here at Currie with families in the military who are stationed elsewhere in the world, and that’s what we’re paying tribute to today,” said Principal William Wingo, only hours before war broke out. “We’re having our yellow ribbon week this week to let military personnel know we’re supporting them.”

Because of fierce Santa Ana winds, the ceremony had to be moved inside to a room that can accommodate only half the student body, so it will be repeated today for the other half. The event, attended by representatives of a police department and a Marine base, included speeches and a rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” by the school’s band.

Parents and school district representatives also attended the ceremony.

Marcella Sims, the parent of Currie sixth-grader Neal Sims Jr., came with her younger son, Raymond, 9.

“I support my husband in everything he does,” Sims said. “Being here will give me strength. I think he’ll sense that and it will give him strength.”

“It’s neat that the kids have other people here showing their support,” said Mimi Kroll, a social studies teacher.

Kroll said the idea came about after she started planning activities to help students understand what’s going on and ease their fears. The mother of one of her students came to her and expressed concern about her daughter, who hadn’t been talking very much since her father was sent to the Persian Gulf, Kroll said.

“We sat down and finally (the student) told me, ‘I’m scared,’ ” Kroll said. “The more I began to realize how many of these kids’ parents were gone, I thought we had to do something for them.”

Since then, Kroll has placed a large yellow ribbon on the wall of her classroom and students have pinned up photographs of relatives participating in Operation Desert Shield or stationed at bases in other locations abroad.

One student, 12-year-old Crystal Rasmussen, also brought in photos of Saudi Arabia and a soda can with Arabic writing sent to her by her father, Maj. Mike Rasmussen. She and Kroll wore matching Operation Desert Shield T-shirts on Wednesday.

Counselor Anna Katsuki said the school offers two weekly counseling groups for the children.

Now, Katsuki said, she is thinking about how to handle the inevitability of deaths.

“If war breaks out, that will be inevitable,” Katsuki said. “I had a mother come to me who is married to a Vietnam veteran. She was upset because they did not receive this kind of support. But I’d like to think we’ve learned something since then.”