A group of Army and Air Force service members, equipped with books from the Pershing Elementary School Library, joined forces May 27 to read for children in some of Pershing’s kindergarten to fifth grade classes.
The Joint Base San Antonio military readers program was organized by 502nd Air Base Wing Command Chief Master Sgt. Juan Lewis and Bill Gaines, 502nd Air Base Wing Office of Public Affairs chief of civic outreach.
Lewis said his passion for reading to school children encouraged him to recruit Soldiers and Airmen from Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base and Randolph Air Force Base to join him in his effort to encourage reading in elementary schools. This year’s premiere event was the first one to incorporate all three of San Antonio’s major military bases.
“We always try to go out to the schools to read for the children when we’re deployed, but we shouldn’t forget the local schools right here in our communities,” said Lewis.
The school’s principal and vice principal gave a warm welcome to the service members and thanked them all for their contributions to impacting the life of the children in her school before turning them over to students selected to escort them to their assigned classrooms.
Among the many readers were seven Soldiers from the 470th Military Intelligence Brigade: 1st Sgt. Carlton Green, Sgt. 1st Class Mina Vasquez, Sgt. 1st Class Barbara Davis, Sgt. 1st Class Jeron Wade, Sgt. 1st Class Viet Nguyen and Staff Sgt. Rosealy Jones.
Students from LaDonna Grant’s third grade class were treated to a special reading of “Bobby Bear and the Magical Bamboo Forest” written and illustrated by Maj. John W. Howard II, 470th MI Brigade assistant S-3 (operations and training officer) and Reserve Affairs liaison. Assisting Howard was Green, who read two books and continued to engage the students by letting them share their ideas and help make up other stories, which sparked excitement and participation.
Howard presented Grant with an Air Force commander’s coin on behalf of Lewis for affording them the opportunity to read to her class and for being an excellent teacher and role model to her students.
“The kids loved it. They were very interested in the learning about the Soldiers and Airmen and enjoyed the readings,” said Phyllis Davis, assistant principal. “This was the first time anything like this had ever been done at Pershing, and judging by the positive outcome, it will not be the last,” she said.
The next JBSA school reading event is scheduled for October or November.
