Posted on 02/21/2005 5:54:18 AM PST by NewHampshireDuo
NASHUA - After the applause had subsided and as students began heading back to their classrooms, Master Sgt. Edward Mullin, dressed in his camouflage, hopped into his ’93 Ford pickup.
The moment of truth arrived as he turned the key. The engine revved and, without a hitch, the truck started. Mullin backed out of the garage at Nashua High School North’s auto shop and drove home to his wife, Trisha.
“It starts up - that’s a plus,” joked Ryan Lones, a junior enrolled in the school’s automotive technology course and one of the students who worked on the vehicle, a special project for a man for whom students said they have a great deal of respect.
Trisha Mullin brought her husband to the school for the surprise Friday morning. Edward Mullin, a National Guardsman in his third week back from a 13-month tour of duty in Iraq, had asked his wife last year if she could get his truck fixed up for him so he would have something to drive when he came home in January.
Thanks to donations from students and staff and the work of students in the automotive program, she found the best deal in the city. More than $500 was raised in the school and every penny was put into the truck, which students said was in desperate need of the work. Even Trisha Mullin did not know the school was raising money to pay for the repairs.
“I didn’t even know they were doing this until this week,” she said Friday, with two of their children, Sierra, 6, and Shawn, 11, at her side.
Sierra and Shawn, both students at Birch Hill Elementary School, stood in the corner of the shop with their mother, watching their father get a hero’s welcome from the auto shop students.
Students applauded Edward Mullin as he walked toward his truck. In a sign of appreciation, he slapped a “T” sticker on the rear window of his vehicle, signifying he was now a member of the Titans team. His oldest son, Aaron, is a sophomore at the school.
“It’s pretty incredible what they did,” Edward Mullin said.
In the military since 1983, Master Sgt. Mullin has lived in Nashua for the past 12 years. He said that as a soldier, returning home from a long tour of duty can be stressful. But encouragement like what he received from the students has made the transition easier.
“It makes the sacrifice worthwhile,” he said.
He said he hopes his time home with his family is permanent, but that all depends on the orders of the commander in chief.“When (President Bush) says go, I go,” he said.
The area of Iraq in which he was stationed was only attacked four or five times during his time there, he said. He knows other soldiers who were stationed near combat zones have a much more difficult time adjusting because of the constant attacks.
Trisha Mullin took the truck in about two months ago and Pat Tully, one of the teachers of the automotive course, said students began by assessing its needs. They knew the truck belonged to a soldier in Iraq.
“They knew this was a little bit special. They knew it was someone who would appreciate the effort,” Tully said.
Some students sacrificed their free time after school last week to take care of all the final details, making sure the truck could successfully roll out Friday morning.
Juniors Adam Narkunas and Doug Tancreti, in their first year of automotive studies, said they stayed after school every day of the week, washing the pickup and making sure it was ready to go. Considering who it belonged to, Tancreti said he didn’t mind at all.
Tully said the students did major maintenance to the vehicle, including installing a new timing belt. They flushed out the coolant, gave it oil and lube service and worked on the brakes.
“I think in a professional shop, we did well over $1,000 worth of work,” Tully said.
Because the work was done in a training environment, the cost was only the parts. Tully sent an e-mail asking teachers and students to contribute anything they could toward the bill.
“All of the staff got really involved. We raised about $500 and we still have a few dollars coming in the mail,” Tully said, adding that the donations covered all of the expenses.
Instructor Bob Babikian said students work mostly on donated cars, and sometimes vehicles that belong to students. But working on Mullin’s truck brought a new level of energy to the students, and Babikian hopes it will start a trend of people bringing in their vehicles to the students for special projects.
The truck, Tully said, is still not in perfect condition. There are some problems the students couldn’t take care of in their shop. But it’s definitely a big improvement.
“It’s 100 percent better than when we got it,” he said.
Before getting into his truck and taking off, Mullin was asked how many miles were on it. He had forgotten while he was away and took a look at the dashboard - 96,000 miles.
“Now I can put another 100,000 on there,” he said with a laugh.
Michael Brindley can be reached at 594-6426 or brindleym@telegraph-nh.com.
Everyone benefitted from this one! It's great to see students doing something concrete, patriotic, and LEARNING.
No kidding - much better than the stories of schools lining up students to go get abortions.
This is one of those positive stories that I was glad to read!
Goosebump time!
Reminds me of the time we slipped a 3/4 racing cam in Grandma's 55 Ford.
I wanted to know what they fixed. Thanks stupid reporter for leaving out the details.
Amen. We can all learn from this story. It's the love and gratitude behind the work that makes that ol' truck hummm...
Thank you for a good story.
Below is text taken from the reporter's article. You must have missed it.
Tully said the students did major maintenance to the vehicle, including installing a new timing belt. They flushed out the coolant, gave it oil and lube service and worked on the brakes.
Reading is fundamental. Sometimes, the information you're looking for is past the first paragraph.
Thanks to donations from students and staff and the work of students in the automotive program, she found the best deal in the city. More than $500 was raised in the school and every penny was put into the truck, which students said was in desperate need of the work. Even Trisha Mullin did not know the school was raising money to pay for the repairs.
Could we be returning to the America I grew up in, with improvements?
Thanks for the ping!
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