Perry Hall Soldier Tells of War Experiences at Joppa View

This past summer in Iraq, U.S. Army Capt. J.J. Strassner was responsible for three aircraft, 23 military personnel and an entire medevac operation.

But the 28-year-old Perry Hall native faced a very different challenge Thursday morning at . His mission: Teach more than 50 fifth-graders what it means to be a veteran.

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A slideshow photo of a gecko ("These crawled all over the walls at our base," he said.) elicited the most vocal response from his audience. A photo of his medavac Black Hawk helicopter during a sandstorm ("It's really scary," Strassner said) likewise drew an awe-filled reaction from the children.

His slideshow was followed by a show-and-tell presentation of gadgets inside his army-issued combat vest. "This is where the pistol would go—obviously, I couldn't bring that," he said.

"Was it thrilling to be a helicopter driver?" one student asked.

"I don't know if I'd call it thrilling," he said. "I decided to take the medavac route because I wanted to save people's lives ... that's the most rewarding part."

The captain's mother, Mary Strassner, was one of the fifth-grade teachers who hosted the event.

"We learn about the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, but [the students] really need to know how their freedoms are secured and maintained," she said.

Her son attended , and before receiving ROTC training while gaining a degree in criminal justice at the University of Maryland, College Park. Strassner was deployed to Iraq in 2010 and returned home this past August. He remains on active duty as a member of the Army National Guard and lives with his wife in Washington.

"I'm used to working with aviator pilots in their 40s and 50s, trying to tell men in their 40s and 50s what to do," Strassner said. "Talking to fifth-graders? That's not bad at all."

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