Marine returns to hometown to thank Carson Middle School students

There’s an American flag in the library of Carson Middle School that U.S. Marine Maj. Jade Campbell flew on mission in Afghanistan in 2011. He sent the flag as a thank-you gift to students there who had sent him care packages during his deployment.

On Monday, the 1991 Carson High School graduate — and brother to CMS librarian Ananda Campbell — returned to thank the students in person.

“It means a lot to the Marines that you all are behind us,” he told students.

Campbell, a helicopter pilot in the Marines, is in town visiting family before moving to Australia for a three-year assignment.

“It’s nice to come back to your hometown,” he said. “They don’t get a chance to see and hear as many Marines here.”

Campbell spoke to students about the importance of making good choices early on, explaining how he sacrificed some of the free time his friends had in college to pursue a more difficult major in engineering. That opened up more opportunities for him later.

“Pick that choice that’s going to give you more options down the road,” he said.

He showed photos and videos from his missions, which ranged in purpose from combat, to rescue, to humanitarian relief in places such as Afghanistan, Africa and the Philippines.

“You get to go out in the world and see how lucky we are in America,” he said. “It’s sad sometimes, but I makes you appreciate what we have.”

Nick Goodner, 14, enjoyed the presentation.

“It was cool to learn what our military has to do to defend our country and keep us safe,” he said. “It’s good to know for future reference.”

Elizabeth Vogel, 13, was moved by what she saw and heard.

“I thought it was amazing,” she said. “He’s a really awesome person. I’m thankful for what he does.”