LEWISTON – In the middle of a bustling fourth-grade classroom, 10-year-old Jesse Graham gives his valentine careful consideration.

Some red construction paper here. A little glue there. Three tiny hearts and a smiling face penciled inside.

In neat, slanting script, he’s written, “Thank you a lot for fighting for us. You must be a great person. Happy Valentines Day!”

It’s a card that will be going to a soldier serving overseas, and Graham wants it to be special.

“I just felt like writing nice things, to make the serviceperson feel good,” he said.

Coordinated by the American Red Cross, the Valentine’s Day project collects and sends thousands of cards to troops serving overseas. This year, many of the valentines are being sent to Iraq.

On Wednesday, Graham and his Longley Elementary School classmates spent part of their morning making Valentine’s Day cards for the Red Cross’ United Valley chapter.

“They don’t really have a lot of mail, and they are in war,” said 9-year-old Brandon Anderson as he covered his card with a crayoned self-portrait. “They miss their families.”

With pink and purple construction paper, scissors and glue sticks scattered over their desks, the fourth-graders fold and paste and color. Some draw hearts and flowers. Two boys draw smiling soldiers.

For a special someone

Joseph Leslie-Jones addresses his valentine to his cousin, hopeful that the name “Reynard” in blue crayon will get the card to its rightful owner.

“I hope it makes him come back,” he said, pasting red stickers inside.

Most of the cards will be sent to nameless soldiers. Many of the fourth-graders address their cards simply, “Dear Serviceperson.”

The United Valley chapter hopes to send 5,000 valentines overseas from area schoolchildren and other volunteers, even if the cards won’t get there in time for the holiday. This offers the soldiers some support from home, said Jerry DeWitt, a veteran who is coordinating the project for the local Red Cross chapter.

“Some people have family to send cards and some don’t,” he said.

As they draw and write, the Longley kids imagine what it must be like to be so far away on Valentine’s Day.

“They don’t get to come home,” said Tabitha Patriquin. “They get to get mail. But they don’t get to see their family.”

The children hope their 14 cards will help.

Said Anderson, “Maybe it will make them kind of feel much better.”

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