'Adopted' soldier thanks Lake Villa students

Warren High grad tells of life in war zone

LAKE VILLA -- Seventh-grade students at Palombi Middle School got a first-hand account of life as a soldier in Iraq when Tyler Morris shared his experiences, and dozens of candid photos taken during his first tour of duty there.

Army Pfc. Morris, 20, met with a special group of seventh-graders, who last year were sixth-grade students of teacher Morgan Chellin. The 24 students "adopted" Morris after his mom, Sue Morris, shared with Chellin that Tyler was homesick and could use some moral support.

"The kids wrote him letters that we bound into a book of what we called 'inspiration' letters, and we sent him a box filled with socks, baby wipes and powder, toothbrushes, toothpaste and a lot of other practical items," said Chellin, a teacher last year at Pleviak Elementary School where Sue Morris is a kindergarten teacher.

The heavy duty socks were especially appreciated because Morris spent a lot of time patrolling on foot and was going through a pair of socks every day, said Chellin.

Morris, on leave for two weeks, told the students he appreciated all the items, but got a real "kick" out of the inspiration letters.

"I looked at the book many times, and on especially hard days I would reread it and it would always put a smile on my face," he said

A graduate of Warren Township High School, he joined the Army for five years, and will return to Iraq this week for another six months of duty.

"I spent the past six months patrolling and pulling guard duty where there is a lot of sand and a lot of nothing," while wearing his full uniform and protective gear in temperatures that could reach a summer high of 140 degrees, said Morris.

"I don't know how the women in Iraq manage to work in their heavy clothing that covers them completely, it is so hot there and we drink water constantly."

Accustomed to high temperatures, when the nighttime low dropped to 70 degrees, he was "freezing," he said.

It was common to mingle with the residents who mostly farmed the land and tended "big stinky animals," including water buffalo and camels. Housing is primitive and his initial shelter was not much better than nearby mud huts. He eventually moved into an air-conditioned tent that gave him a respite from the heat.

Morris showed the students dozens of candid photos of the area where he was stationed in southern Iraq, near the border of Iran. Some shots showed local residents farming, carrying food or wood, riding bicycles or tending animals. He had photos of primitive homes and herds of water buffalo and camels, interspersed with photos of himself and his buddies in full gear or dressed in shirts and T-shirts, just "hanging out."

"We sleep whenever we have the opportunity, and otherwise we play games or watch movies on our laptops," he said, adding the food was less than gourmet. "The beef stew tasted like dog food and the mashed potatoes like cardboard."

Chellin said she would like her students at Palombi to follow up with Morris during his second tour of duty.

"I am thrilled that this went full circle and my students from last year were able to meet Tyler," she said. "Kids have no idea of what it is like to live and work in Iraq. Now they can visualize what it is like there."