U.S. Navy Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class Tracy Alexander Tuesday delivered a personal thank you to teacher Laurie Wittbold and Courtney Cooley’s third-grade classes at Lakeville Elementary.
Students in both classes wrote and mailed letters to Alexander, an Oxford resident, during his six-month tour in Iraq. He shared those letters with his fellow servicemen in the 528th U.S. Navy Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants Support Unit.
Alexander returned home about a month ago and decided to thank the classes personally by showing them slides of his work in Iraq and answering their many, many questions.
Wittbold’s class is particularly special to Alexander because one of the students is his son, Nicholas Alexander.
Alexander and his wife, Maryann, have two other children in Oxford Schools ? sixth-grader Madeline Alexander and ninth-grader Zachary Alexander.
Originally from Indiana, Alexander has served in the U.S. Navy for 19 years ? five years active duty during the Reagan-era and 14 years as a reserve sailor.
Stationed around Samarra and Tikrit while in Iraq, Alexander’s unit handled the receiving, storing and transfer of fuel for military operations.
Alexander is currently employed as a project engineer for an automotive supplier in Madison Heights.