Posted on 10/18/2004 6:57:13 AM PDT by TexKat
Letters from Munster students last spring lifted the spirits of a former region resident injured in Iraq, but a chance encounter thousands of miles away during summer vacation brought their teacher and the soldier together.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Nick Popaditch, who lived in Hammond as a youngster, was made famous around the globe when a photograph appeared of him smoking a celebratory cigar in front of the toppled statue of Saddam Hussein. That's when Janet Salinas, a fourth-grade teacher at St. Paul Lutheran School, learned he was related to one of her pupils.
Popaditch later lost his right eye and some hearing in his right ear when a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a Fallujah rooftop exploded in his face after it was thrown into the hatch of his tank.
The student's mother suggested the kids in her daughters' fourth- and first-grade classes write to Popaditch to cheer him up.
"The older ones helped the younger ones write," Salinas remembered. "The younger ones would draw pictures."
The children sent messages of thanks to Popaditch, along with get-well wishes and prayers.
After the school year ended, Salinas and her father went to Hawaii for vacation.
While sitting by the pool of a Honolulu hotel, she heard a commotion in the adjacent open-air dining room.
"We were sitting there enjoying the evening, when all of a sudden, we heard this crash," Salinas recalled, adding a man had knocked something over. "A woman said, 'Oh, you'll have to excuse my husband, he can't see. His eye was shot out in Fallujah.' I thought, hmm,' " Salinas said, looking toward the couple and remembering the famous photo.
"He had a shaved head and an eye patch. I thought, there can't be two people (with such similarities)."
After working up some nerve, the teacher approached the man. "Excuse me, but are you Nick Popaditch? Do you remember getting some letters?"
It was April Popaditch, the soldier's wife, who answered, realizing who they were meeting, Salinas said.
"They were surprised," she said of the couple vacating with their son. "We were just laughing about it."
The Popaditches and Salinas took photos together, and Salinas sent postcards telling people at home of the chance meeting.
"We talked for 15 or 20 minutes," she said. "My dad talked to him. He was kind of quiet. His wife said how nice it was to get the letters. He did thank me. They were very grateful."
Boy! It's really nice to know so many people care about us on the free republic website. I hope my comment did not worry anyone about our spirits. We are still doing good and feeling positive. I just had to blow off some anger at Kerry and Moore. We most certainly are not alone with all of you on our side. How is it going in your home state? We by far have more Marines from Texas than any other state in the US, very patriotic citizens. Nick is trying to stay in the Marines, he will of course have to do another job. He more than likely will be an instructor. Everything looks good so far, he has so many people fighting for him to stay. I will follow the advice of the wonderful people on the site and find out what can be done about the misuse of my husbands footage. I thought you might like this article so I am forwarding it to you. I must visit free republic more often because I feel a sense of kinship there and I am never alone in my views. Thank you for leading us to this great group of people! Best wishes, April
Thanks for the ping!
Nick may not know it, but he affected the lives of all the kids who wrote and prayed for him.
God Bless April and Nick..We are blessed to have the privilege to say "Thank you and we are praying for you."
Thanks for the update from April.
And Wow! That is a cool story.
It's a small world. Great story. It's great to read that Nick is doing so well and he's the kind the Marines will continue to need. Great inspiration.
YA'll getting a pop up ad from this page ???
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