Teaching The Lesson Of Giving

Few would argue with the notion it takes more than what you learn in books to make a full, happy life. While we depend on schools to teach basics such as math and reading and history, we also hope students get a dose of humanity along the way.

A group of students called Girls Rock at Fayetteville’s Ramay Junior High stand out as a great example of a school program going a little farther. The group hosted a fundraiser withthe help of Powerhouse Seafood & Grill earlier this week and raised $845 for Safety Net, a program that helps low-income students with expenses for educational activities.

Girls Rock was started through a grant from the Fayetteville Junior Civic League to encourage girls in leadership positions.

That may not sound like a lot of money, but it makes a difference. More importantly, it establishes for the students involved the importance of giving back to your community and offering a helping hand to those who need it. Chances are $845 is just the start of a lifetime of service for each of those young women.

Here’s the best news: There are dozens, even hundreds of events and programs like this across the region, driving home the need for service and sacrifice to young people.

These girls definitely rock, as do all students who take time to give back.

CASUALTIES OF WAR To honor the men and women in our armed forces and remind our readers of their sacrifices, the Springdale Morning News is publishing Department of Defense announcements identifying Americans killed in active military operations.

Army Sgts. Thomas J. Butler IV, 25, of Wilmington, N.C.; Jeremy F. Hardison, 23, of Maysville, N.C.; and Donna R. Johnson, 29, of Raeford, N.C. died Oct. 1 in Khost,Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an insurgent detonated a suicide vest while they were on dismounted patrol. The soldiers were assigned to the 514th Military Police Company, 60th Troop Command, Winterville, N.C.

Army Warrant Officer Joseph L. Schiro, 27, of Coral Springs, Fla., and Staff Sgt. Justin C. Marquez, 25, of Aberdeen, N.C., died Oct. 6 in Chak district, Wardak Province, Afghanistan, of gunshot wounds suff ered while on dismounted patrol. They were assigned to the 1st Special Forces Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.

Navy Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Milton W. Brown, 28, of Dallas died Aug. 4, from a noncombat-related incident in Rota, Spain, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137, Lemoore, Calif.

Army Sgt. First Class Ryan J. Savard, 29, of Sierra Vista, Ariz., died Oct. 13 in Khanabad District, Afghanistan, from small-arms fire while on patrol during combat operations.

He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Army Sgt. Thomas R. Macpherson, 26, of Long Beach, Calif., died Oct. 12 in Andar District, Afghanistan, from small-arms fire while on patrol during combat operations.

He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Navy Cmdr. Joel Del Mundo Tiu, 49, of Manila, Philippines, died Oct. 12 as a result of noncombat-related injuries. He was assigned to Logistics Forces, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, Manama, Bahrain.

Army Spc. Brittany B. Gordon, 24, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died Oct. 13, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suff ered when enemy forces attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device. She was assigned to the 572 Military Intelligence Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.