Eagle Tribune By Davin Wilfrid Staff writer NORTH ANDOVER -- Sometime in the next few weeks, a folded sheet of crimson construction paper with a pencil-drawn heart on the front will find its way to troops in Iraq, bringing with it a simple message. "Be safe and keep your hopes up. Your friend, Daniel," the card reads. Daniel's valentine is one of more than 400 being shipped abroad by students of St. Michael's School in North Andover, where -- this year, at least -- Valentine's Day is about more than chocolate and romance. "It's just so they know that there's people who care about them," said Hayley A. Carlin, 13, a Methuen eighth-grader at the school. "They do so much for us, we just wanted to let them know," said Shelagh M. Hogan, 13, of North Andover. The idea for the valentines came to North Andover eighth-grader Olivia C. Blain, 13, just before Christmas, she said. Her first thought was to send Christmas cards to the troops, but she later reconsidered the idea because, as she put it, "we knew they'd get lots of Christmas presents and cards and things. We thought not a lot of people would be sending them valentines." So Olivia and some friends put the idea to work at St. Michael's, where over the next three weeks children from age 3 to 14 would design, cut, draw, paste, sticker and print a total of about 400 Valentines -- all bound for those serving in the Middle East. The simplest designs come from the pre-school children, who decorated pre-cut red hearts with simple geometric shapes. Older children used computers to configure cards with professional flair or wrote poems on white paper. Some cards even have games on the inside where recipients try to find hidden letters in digital drawings of houses, flower beds and other scenes. Most of the messages on the cards are thankful, and offer a measure of hope. "I'm praying for you every night," says one. "You are all HEROES," says another. Some offer a mildly humorous glimpse at the world from a child's eyes. "I am very proud that so many great people are willing to risk their lives for me and my country," begins one card. "I think it's unfair that you aren't here for the holidays but eventually you'll be home and when you're old and wrinkly like your grandmother or your grandpa, you'll be the one telling little kids about the war that you fought in, the war that freed the Iraqis." To get the valentines to the troops, Anne C. Blain, Olivia's mother, plans to work with New England Caring for Our Military, a Methuen group that helps people send letters and care packages to troops overseas. She said a member of the group has addresses for Merrimack Valley troops overseas and would try to get the cards to them. Veterans familiar with the feeling of missing major holidays while serving say even the simplest notes can comfort. "It's nice to know that people are thinking about you," said Air Force reservist Michael Ingham, 51, who returned last month from four months working in a support role in the United Arab Emirates. "It kind of makes it feel like what you're doing is not futile," he said. "It makes you more committed to your job." Ingham said the younger troops typically scramble at word of incoming mail, and are most affected by gestures from children in the United States. "For a lot of them, it's their first time being away from home," he said. Notes and cards from children also mean that children are learning about world events, Ingham said, especially in Iraq, which the United States hopes blossoms into a friendly democracy. "In this case, it's them becoming part of something that's going to be a part of their future, too," he said. As long as the troops are there, Olivia promises, they will have a steady supply of valentines from the Merrimack Valley. "We definitely plan on doing it again next year," she said.

Davin Wilfrid
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