MARLBORO — Flags waved and students sang songs to welcome U.S. Army Specialist John Alfonso home following his 14-month tour of duty in Iraq during a celebration held March 16.
Students at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Monmouth County, School Road East, adopted Alfonso, 30, and his Army unit shortly after the soldier’s deployment overseas. Alfonso’s mother, Jessica Alfonso, has been a teacher at Solomon Schechter for five years.
When Alfonso, a resident of Matawan, was deployed to Iraq, the Solomon Schechter community came together to provide support for Jessica Alfonso, her son and his fellow soldiers.
During his recent visit, the school staff and students welcomed Alfonso with balloons and signs hanging outside the building. Alfonso returned to the United States in mid- February and was able to return to New Jersey on March 10.
An assembly was held for the students in the first through eighth grades. The children applauded Alfonso as members of the Student Council escorted him into the room. The room was soon filled with familiar patriotic tunes including “This Land is Your Land,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “You’re A Grand Old Flag” as everyone sang along.
Jessica Alfonso became choked up as she thanked the students and their families for the support they had provided to herself and to her son. She expressed her relief at having him back home from the war zone.
During Alfonso’s tour of duty the Solomon Schechter students and their families donated items such as snacks, games and toiletries to ship to Iraq. Students in the pre- K classes and from grades two, four and five wrote letters and emails to let Alfonso know they were all thinking of him. The second grade pupils sent blankets to Alfonso and the soldier said he shared the covers with the rest of his unit. The items that were sent overseas meant a lot to Alfonso and his fellow unit members.
“It’s not just the material stuff that we get so much as the sentiment that comes along with it. It makes us feel great,” Alfonso said.
Prior to enlisting in August 2006, Alfonso said, he was working toward a career in the world of acting or music. His biggest reason for joining the Army was for a change in experiences, he explained.
As it turned out, he had a lot of new experiences, such as learning new customs, meeting new people and experiencing a change in weather, as Alfonso described how the thermometer topped out at 146 degrees on one summer day.
Serving in the Army changes a person in many different ways, Alfonso said.
His contract with the Army will expire in January 2010. By using the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Alfonso said he is hoping to be accepted to the University of California, Los Angeles, to pursue a degree in media related subjects. The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides tuition and fees for soldiers to achieve their academic goals.
Alfonso answered questions from the students and said he earned three medals for his service, one of which he received for activities while in the United States.
When asked if it was hard to leave his family, Alfonso said it was difficult to be so far away from his parents, Jessica and George Alfonso, and his siblings Stacey Alfonso, 24, and Anthony Alfonso, 21. The soldier said the Internet is a great tool for helping families stay in touch through email and instant messaging.
Alfonso said he felt bad for soldiers who were deployed 20 years ago, as they would only have had access to one telephone and be allotted about 15 minutes for personal calls. Alfonso said he had a cell phone while he was in Iraq, but noted that it was hard to communicate using the phone because of a long delay in transmission.
Alec Fiallo, 9, thanked the soldier for serving his country.
Alfonso was touched by Alec’s comments and thanked the young man and shook his hand.
“Thank you so, so much,” Alfonso said to Alec.
The soldier noted that because of the different views people have about the war in Iraq, it means a lot when someone thanks those who are fighting the battles.
Seventh-grader Joe Betesh asked if it was always scary in Iraq, to which Alfonso said no.
“It’s cool over there. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when it is really scary, but most of the time we wake up, put on our uniforms, we go do our jobs. It’s relatively uneventful,” Alfonso explained.
Alfonso said there were instances when the situation got a little scary, including some times when enemy rockets hit fairly close to where he was stationed.
Alfonso answered questions about the type of work he conducted while overseas.
He explained that during the first half of his deployment he worked in an area of Baghdad where top political persons would arrive. The group would guard individuals and conduct searches to ensure that no “bad guys” came in to hurt anyone, Alfonso told the group.
He said that during the second half of the deployment he worked with Iraqi police officers and taught them how to look for the “bad guys.” The soldier said he never fired a gun during his time overseas.
Alfonso said his time in Iraq provided him with a new appreciation for everything he has.
Before the close of the ceremony, Student Council members Alex Grundwerg and Gabrielle Teaman presented Alfonso with a plaque. The entire group then joined together to sing “God Bless America” before returning to their classrooms. A few students lingered to shake hands with their hero.