09/14/05 Monday, when eighth-graders at the Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School in Wharton learned Benoit was a former MacKinnon student, they snapped into action.

Elizabeth Wagner, 13, in the 8th grade, works on hero poster for Army Spc. James 'Jimmy' Benoit, a former student at Albert C. Mackinnon MIddle School in Wharton. Patti Bilinkas said her students decided on their own that they wanted to get all grade levels in the K-8 district to make cards. John bell/ daily record Damien Young, 13, left, and Nyirah McCoy 13, both in the 8th grade, working on a card for Army Spc. James 'Jimmy' Benoit on Tuesday. The students said they wanted to show Benoit that they cared. CAP john bell / daily record Patti Bilinkas, a social studies teacher at the Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School in Wharton, and eighth-grader Allie Gonzalez, 13, display a get-well card to be sent to Army Spc. James Benoit, one of Bilinkas' former students. LBL For Wharton kids, a link to GI hero DHD Teacher organizes get-well campaign for soldier hurt in Iraq BTX by laura bruno daily record WHARTON -- Before they heard of Army Spc. James "Jimmy" Benoit, the war in Iraq was a conflict in a distant country that had no connection to their everyday lives. Monday, when eighth-graders at the Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School learned Benoit was a former MacKinnon student, and that not long ago he walked the same halls they do today, they snapped into action. A social studies class taught by Patti Bilinkas mobilized a district-wide get-well card campaign for the wounded soldier. Bilinkas had Benoit in her classes from fourth through eighth grades. "We're proud of him," said 13-year-old Allie Gonzalez. " It takes a lot of courage to go in the Army and fight for our country." Benoit was critically wounded in a Baghdad roadside bomb attack last week and is being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Bilinkas said she knew immediately it was "one of my boys" when she saw a local newspaper headline about a Wharton soldier hurt in Iraq. Bilinkas, who has taught in Wharton for 23 years, had started this school year teaching her eighth grade social studies class about Iraq and the Middle East. On Monday, she was able to bring the lesson home by telling her students about Benoit. On a bulletin board with a map showing the Middle East, Bilinkas added a red heart cut from construction paper and attached three pictures of Benoit from his fourth and eighth grades as well as one of him in his first U.S. Army uniform. Above the collage she pasted the words "A hero". "James is a quiet, highly sensitive guy with a sparkling wit," Bilinkas said. "He always made me laugh." Students energized Bilinkas didn't have to prod her students, she said. They decided on their own that they wanted to get all grade levels in the K-8 district to make cards. Gonzalez and her classmates were busy Tuesday making posters to hang in both Wharton's elementary and middle schools to rally classmates to make get well cards. "I want to tell him 'thank you', that we can't thank him enough for what's he's done," said 13-year-old Zach Paulus. "He's really brave and I hope he gets better soon." Personal connection Paulus admitted that he didn't think about the war in Iraq much, but now that he knows someone who was there, it felt closer to home. "It was never a big concern like it should be," Paulus said. "The reality of it really sinks in now ... When I heard he was hurt, I was driven to help him." The students said they wanted to show Benoit that they cared what happens to him and that they appreciated that he risked his life for the country. "He should keep fighting for his life and hold on," Gonzalez said. Benoit's mother said that's exactly what her son is doing. Benoit spent another seven hours in the operating room Tuesday, said Margaret "Missy" Benoit . Although he remains in a coma, he's stabilized after going through five surgeries to repair internal damage. Mom at hospital His mother has been able to visit Benoit since arriving at Walter Reed Sunday. The oldest of her three sons, David Benoit, joined her Monday. David Benoit was given an eight-day leave from his station at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, where he was awaiting orders to return to Iraq for a second mission. Missy Benoit said her son is sure to be grateful for the children's efforts. He has brought home letters he's received from children during his two tours in Iraq to show his family. "He loves the children's letters," Missy Benoit said. "He'll love every one of them when he's able to see them. It helps me, too, to see how much everyone cares for him." Laura Bruno can be reached at (973) 428-6626 or lbruno2@gannett.com.