Story and photos by Judy Griffin, Forney Messenger

On Friday, May 29, sixth graders at Claybon Elementary gathered in the sixth grade classroom of teacher Everell Eckeberger for a special presentation by Staff Sgt. Chris Churchman.

Staff Sgt. Churchman is a reservist in the U. S. Air Force. He has been in the Air Force for six years—four on active duty and two in the reserve. He serves as an electrician who works on F-16 fighter jets.

Staff Sgt. Churchman was in Iraq for three months—from February to May of this year. During his presentation, he thanked Mrs. Eckeberger’s students for letters they sent him  while he was there.

“They are truly special,” Staff Sgt. Churchman said.

In the fall, Staff Sgt. Churchman will be in Bulgaria for two weeks.

He is now stationed at the Naval Air Station in Fort Worth.

Staff Sgt. Churchman told the students about his duties and his days in Iraq. Then he presented Mrs. Eckeberger and her students with a United States flag which flew over Iraq on May 3. The flag was presented with supporting documentation.

In closing, Staff Sgt. Churchman told the students that his motto is “Don’t count the days—Make the days count.”

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This story and any accompanying photo(s) were originally published in the Forney Messenger and are Copyright © 2009, Forney Messenger, Inc. and have been used by permission. The Forney Messenger is the publisher of Kaufman County’s oldest newspaper and may be found online at www.ForneyMessengerInc.com.