Marine talks to students about war

By Stephanie Bertholdo Acorn Staff Writer

FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE-Cpl. Kayitz Finley, a United States Marine, speaks with Las Virgenes Unified School District students at A.E. Wright and A.C. Stelle middle schools about the war in Iraq.

Cpl. Kayitz Finley, a United States Marine home from the fighting in Iraq, spent the day at Las Virgenes Unified School District headquarters last week to share his experiences with seventh- and eighth-grade students from A.E. Wright and A.C. Stelle middle schools.

Carla Adivi, a seventh-grade science teacher at A.E. Wright, said that several of her students adopted the young Marine and stayed in touch with him through letters, e-mail and "care packages."

Finley returned home from the war at the end of September with all of the student letters. To show his appreciation to the kids, he conducted an all-day event at the district office, showcasing his experiences in a slide show that depicted a typical day at war.

Students could ask questions. One asked how Finley was treated in Iraq by the Iraqi people. "The locals treated us well," he answered.

Another student asked if Saddam Hussein was an immediate threat to Americans, to which Finley answered yes. He added that Hussein tortured and killed "hundreds of thousands of people" and that he saw mass graves. When a student asked about weapons of mass destruction, Finley said they never found any.

Every question, which ranged from how Finley stayed motivated to how difficult it was to fight—and possibly kill others—was thoughtfully answered.

On the lighter side, one student asked why Finley chose to go to Iraq rather than Hawaii where a relative was stationed. Military orders, of course, aren’t necessary based on family contacts.

He was also asked if any of his friends had been killed. Yes, he answered. U.S. combatants only "bombed military bases with military resistance," Finley said.

Students enjoyed viewing some of the less destructive artifacts of war. Finley shared an "MRE," a Meal Ready to Eat. MREs replace the old-time C-rations with a 2,500-calorie meal whenever "the convoy couldn’t come with food." Finley also shared a map of the battlefield, 300 photographs and he wore his uniform. Finley also displayed a flag that had been signed by his fellow Marines.

Finley also explained the rules of engagement to the students, so they could understand how military personnel handled their jobs.

Alex Hayes, a seventh grader, said, "I think he is really brave that he actually would want to go to Iraq . . . he reminds me of my big brother.

Seventh-grader Leon Cain said that he didn’t support the war before, but got a different perspective from Cpl. Finley.

Sam Lieberstein said, "I thought it was really amazing that he was able to survive and deal with the grief of all the people who were tortured."

More than 650 students attended Finley’s talk during the day.