Warwick high school student looks to help soldiers in Iraq

Warwick — Danny Prial has his sites set on West Point. This 16-year-old sophomore from Warwick Valley High School runs cross country, indoor and outdoor track, depending on the season. The middle of five children, he decided last summer he wanted to make a life for himself in the military. But he didn’t have to experience the military life to realize it can be tough so far from home and living in a war zone. Prial decided he would help. He contacted adoptaplatoon.org, a soldier support effort founded in 1998 by volunteer mothers to ensure that deployed U.S. service members get the support they need. It is a non-profit group whose purpose is to provide a better quality of life for the men and women in the military who are serving oversees. Prial didn’t adopt an entire platoon. Instead, he adopted four individual soldiers, one for each class in the high school. “I put a box in each classroom,” Prial said. “I’m hoping to get all the students and the community to participate.” Contributions may include powdered Gatorade, hard candy, and toiletries such as Q-tips, mouthwash, combs, toothbrushes and the like - anything to bring comforts to the soldiers. What he can’t send, ironically, are letters. Prial doesn’t know much about the soldiers except they were all deployed to Iraq from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. They are all married and will be back in the states in December. Since Prial is not yet 18, he couldn’t technically adopt the soldiers on his own. Instead, Gene Burns, his Global Studies teacher from last year signed off on the project for him. Burns also is involved with the student senate, which has agreed to pay the shipping for the supplies Prial gathers. Prial will be accepting donations until the end of the school year. Anyone wishing to contribute may drop them off at the high school office or greeter. If it goes well, Prial said he will do it again in September when school resumes and keep sending packages until the men return home at year’s end. For more information, check out the group’s Web site at adoptaplatoon.org.