Students sing carols, talk to troops in Afghanistan

STRONG — Strong Elementary School students and residents from nearby Valley Brook senior housing gathered for an afternoon of Christmas caroling Tuesday.

While nearly 200 people gathered in the school’s gymnasium, part of their audience listened from many miles away in the mountains of Kabul, Afghanistan.

SAD 58 school nurse Wendy Pond’s two sons, Toby, 29, and Travis, 27, are spending their winter serving in Afghanistan with Maine Army National Guard.

Wendy, her husband, John, and a large extended family said goodbye to the two staff sergeants in March, when they deployed with Army National Guard’s 1136th Transportation Company at Camp Eggers.

Principal Felecia Pease, Technology Integrator Angel Allen and others arranged a video conference call to share the Christmas festivities with them.

Combining fun with education, students also had prepared several questions for the soldiers.

What is the weather like there?

“It’s a lot like Maine, but we’re in the mountains, so the air is pretty thin up here,” Toby answered.

What will they do on Christmas Day?

“We’ll take the presents we’ve got and tear them all open,” Travis laughed.

Do they get to ride in some of that cool equipment?

“We have more of the maintenance equipment here, but we have some pretty cool stuff,” another soldier answered.

The two are on their second tour in the Middle East; their first assignment was a year in Kuwait in 2003. Their brush with celebrity status began during Thanksgiving holidays, when “Today” show host Lester Holt did a live interview with them, and Franklin County buzzed with the news that two local men had been on the national news.

Their company provides force protection for Camp Eggers, as well as tactical vehicle maintenance support.

Toby, 29, and his wife, Holly, graduated from Mt. Blue High School, and Holly cares for toddler Carson and infant Asher at their home in New Sharon.

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