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Contributed by: Steve Shultz, YourHub.com on 5/23/2006

A simple letter from a high school student can mean the world to one soldier. Or two, in this case.

The Mobley brothers -- identical twins Ryan and Matt -- are simultaneously serving their country in two separate branches of the armed forces. The 19-year-old twins graduated from Highlands Ranch High School in 2004 and are pen pals with students there, thanks to the efforts of teacher Tandy Ortiz.

Ryan, a lance corporal in the Marines, is currently stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif. He spent seven months in Iraq in the Al Anbar province, and his next deployment to the forlorn country is slated for April 2007.

Matt, a private first class in the Army, is currently stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. Matt will be going to Iraq for the first time in early to mid July.

Ortiz, a physical education teacher at Highlands Ranch High School, said she read about the Mobley brothers in the Rocky Mountain News, and decided to write to their parents about regularly corresponding with the brothers. Ortiz said the parents gave her the brothers' contact information. Thus began a pen pal relationship between the Mobleys and their high school.

"Part of our (curriculum) is that we include writing in all of our class projects," Ortiz said. "We encourage some type of writing in every class we have."

Ortiz, who also teaches dance and fitness classes at the high school, said she and each student from her classes wrote to the brothers a total of 100 letters. Ryan said teachers and students from the school began sending letters when he was first stationed in Iraq.

"I got several big packets filled with letters from students and teachers while I was over there," Ryan said in an e-mail, "and I answered them to the best of my ability with the free time I had."

Ortiz said she received those letters back and read them aloud to her classes.

Matt said in an e-mail, "I don't remember how it began, but I believe Ms. Ortiz had a writing assignment for her class, and they chose to write to my brother and myself. I responded back in a letter to the teacher and to the students. I also went in and talked to a few classes while I was home on leave."

Matt spoke to two classes last December, sharing his experiences in New Orleans. Matt was on cleanup duty after Hurricane Katrina. One sobering memory Matt shared with the class, Ortiz said, was that of helping to recover 64 bodies from the aftermath.

Ryan spoke to some classes more recently, on April 26, about his time in Iraq.

"I think that a lot of the students didn't realize the hardships that these two go through," Ortiz said. "I think it was an eye-opener for the Highlands Ranch kids. It gives them a personal perspective on the war."

Senior Becky Moore, 18, was present when Ryan spoke to Ortiz's dance class April 26. Moore said she has not personally written to the Mobley brothers, but learned a lot from Ryan's visit to the school.

Moore said that one thing that really stood out for her in Ryan's speech was "the fact that he emphasized how little the news knows about what's going on in Iraq."

"(Most people) don't understand what they really go through," Moore said. "I think that families shouldn't judge what's going on over there, because the media doesn't know everything."

Lisa Casdorph, the Highlands Ranch High School Connections coordinator, agreed with Moore, saying the war on Iraq is "a lot different than what we're seeing on television."

Moore said Ryan talked to the class about house raids, car bombings and how "scary" the war is. When asked what it was like to shoot a person, Ryan said it wasn't a matter of will or morality -- he said you just have to, Moore said.

Ortiz said she would encourage anyone who knows someone serving in the military to thank them. She said the brothers' visits and letters are something the students will never forget.

"They're out there protecting us for the freedoms we have every day," Ortiz said. "We care about them when they leave the (school)."

Read a Q&A with the Mobley brothers here.

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Showing 1 of 1 comments

Submitted By: Mike Mobley

posted on 5/25/2006 @ 7:33:17 AM

(Not Rated)

Thought this was a great article. Didn't know it was coming out. Great job with unbias and non political reporting.

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