Airman Makes Surprise Visit to Whiting Students

The last time Airman Michael Harrold and Whiting School fifth graders spoke, he was some 6,700 miles away. 

Students had no idea the U.S. Air Force serviceman, who chatted with the kids over the internet messenger Skype while stationed in Afghanistan, was in back in the country, let alone in their school.

When students were asked to cover their eyes on Feb. 24, they thought they were beginning an exercise for Spanish class. Harrold quietly entered the classroom and took his seat. 

"Hola, amigos," Harrold said, greeting the surprised fifth graders who now found their long-distance video chat partner sitting just a few feet away. 

Harrold took questions from the students of Loreen Reiman and Shari Buhnerkemper's classes for about thirty minutes. They asked about the food Harrold ate on base, what the weather was like in Afghanistan and if he sees himself as a role model.

"The last student said, 'do you consider yourself a role model?' And I told her that I could," Harrod said, speaking about the question that stood out to him most. "She said, 'we think you're a role model.'"

When all the questions were asked, Harrold even signed autographs for students.

Having Harrold, who is 20 years old, visit the school was a good way for students to put a human face on something they may hear about in the news, said Principal Marjorie Stevens.

“It's just important for the children to be able to see a young person who is so positive toward his community and his family and his country,” she said.

"It's trying to do things and making it real for the kids, so they see the connection," she said. "It's very different than just sending items overseas. Getting him here so they can see a young person - this is very real, this war is very real. It makes it very meaningful for the children."

Harrold, who is from Brick, was stationed at Spin Boldak, a base near the Pakistani border, since July 2010 and returned to the U.S. on Jan. 27. His mother, Darlene Rasmussen, arranged with special education teacher Christine Darcy to have students collect items for servicemen as part of Operation Shoebox.

To show his appreciation for the supplies and cards, Rasmussen and Darcy then arranged for Harrold to speak with students through the internet and visit the school.

"It was really neat. The kids will never forget that," Darcy said.

She said that when the students first spoke with Harrold, they were "being their silly selves at first," but when the airman appeared on screen, "it was a whole different mood in the room."

"When they had their time with him, it became real to them," Darcy said. "And I think the age he is, they can relate to him."

Rasmussen, who is an Air Force veteran, said that her son's outreach to Whiting children has been "amazing."

"He's being very inspirational to them," she said.

As a mother, Rasmussen said she realized her son could be deployed overseas, but she nonetheless supported his decision to enlist. 

"I knew when he first went into the Air Force there was the risk of him being deployed," she said. "I was fine with that, as nerve-wracking as it is. I supported him 100 percent."

On April 30, students will gather at Whiting School to pack supplies for Operation Shoebox New Jersey. Darcy said that she plans to reach out to local communities for donations and those interested in helping can contact her through e-mail or by calling the school's main office at 732-350-4994.

Stevens said that outreach efforts like this Project Shoebox and Harrold's visit allow her to do more than just teach academics.

“It's learning about how to be a good person and being a good citizen and making good choices, and Airman Harrold really represents that,” she said.

“I think he's a wonderful role model," Stevens said. "He has strong feelings for his country and made the choice to help his country. His decision later on is to go back to school, to further his education so he can make a good life for himself.”