On April 30, members of the St. Bernard Preparatory School Community Service Club traveled to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to show their appreciation for deploying soldiers by distributing “Bye-Bye Bags” at the USO office.

Each “Bye-Bye Bag” was packed with comfort items and travel essentials to help sustain soldiers during their journey. Every bag also included a handwritten note from a student, offering words of gratitude, encouragement and prayers for the soldiers’ safety.

The group was led by Dr. Craig Mann and Fr. Linus Klucsarits, both of whom praised the St. Bernard students and their parents for making this service project a success. Their leadership helped guide students through a powerful day of service, learning and connection.

In addition to delivering the bags, SBP students served lunch at the USO facility, engaged with soldiers and met with a Catholic chaplain of the 5th Special Forces Group. The group toured the base’s renowned Air Assault School and meet instructors from the legendary 101st Airborne Division.

“It was a fun day with stops ranging from the Air Assault rappelling tower to Buc-ee’s,” said Mann, “but the biggest things, according to what some of the students said, were the moments of face to face contact, serving lunch to soldiers and sitting down with them afterwards, putting eyes and ears on the very people we’ve been working for.”

Military personnel expressed their appreciation for the care packages, which contained items such as hand wipes, styrofoam coffee cups with lids, coffee stir sticks, individual creamer pods, sugar packets, drink mixes, applesauce pouches, fruit cups, fruit snacks, Cup of Noodles, tuna packets, chips and snack-sized cookies.