On Wednesday, Feb. 2, Fremont Elementary Cub Scout Pack 304 had a special visitor at their pack meeting. First Lieutenant Tito Ruiz appeared in person to thank the pack and the school’s principal Christin Walley for the more than 450 DVDs the pack collected and shipped to troops stationed in Afghanistan.

Ruiz, whose sister Selva Pravikoff is a den leader in pack 304, was on leave from his tour in Afghanistan and made the special trip from the Bay Area to express his squadron’s gratitude for the DVDs. The boys and their families welcomed the army officer to their pack meeting where he presented Principal Walley and Cub Master Dan Kilgore and with two US flags which had been flown over the base in Afghanistan and shared an inspirational message with the boys. He reminded them of the many US heroes who also wore Cub Scout uniforms including astronauts, presidents and senators.

Cub Scout Pack 304, whose motto is Do Your Best, organized the DVD drive for US troops stationed in Afghanistan in an attempt to make the troops feel a little closer to home.

The pack approached the broader Fremont community for help. Flyers were printed, announcements were made and by the end of the drive the school had collected 450 DVDs. Over 20 boxes were filled with the movies and shipped to Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.

Contributed by Leonard COUTIN

  Fremont cub scouts