Snacks with Officer Jack is back in Glen Cove

Retired Glen Cove Sgt. Jack McDougal shared a story with the children at Glen Cove Boys & Girls Club’s Snacks with Officer Jack in May that was close to his heart. He told them all about his nephew, Cpl. Brandon Stahl, who was stationed in Mosul, Iraq.

In honor of Memorial Day, the children wrote letters to Stahl thanking him for his service, colored paper soldiers and sent lollipops along with their messages.

On Oct. 25, Stahl came to visit the children at the club. He wanted to thank them personally for their letters. While there he told them a little about himself and answered any of their questions. They also played games and enjoyed snacks together.

“It was definitely a relief to see people reaching out, trying to make that effort,” said Stahl about the letters. When he received them, he had been stationed in Mosul for eight months. “It put a smile on my face, I shared it with all the guys. They all loved it.”

McDougal, who visits the club several times each year, thought having Stahl come and speak to the children would bring his lesson full circle. He knows that some of the children look up to athletes as their heroes, but hopes that by meeting a member of the armed forces it will show the children what an actual hero is like.

“I’m so happy that he came here,” said McDougal. “He wanted to thank the kids for what they did. I think it’s wonderful to have the opportunity for the soldier to actually come back and tell the kids what it meant to get those [letters].”

Chelsea Cruz, 8, said she was happy that Stahl received her letter in the mail in May. “I like that he saw my picture and everyone else’s picture,” she said. “He’s saving our country and makes sure no bad guys come to our country.”

Stahl, 25, grew up in East Norwich, and is home on post-deployment leave. He arrived in Fort Bragg, N.C. on Sept. 12 for administrative work, and has been home in N.Y. since Oct. 1, where he will remain until about mid-November.

It’s been three years since Stahl first joined the army after graduating from Adelphi University in 2014.

He has spoken at schools about his service multiple times, and says it’s always a great experience. “It’s always cool to see the kids and see them get excited and see the emotion on their face when they finally see someone who is out there serving overseas, especially when they see the uniform,” Stahl said. “It’s a very good feeling.”

Seeing a soldier in uniform was one of the inspirational moments that Stahl said pushed him toward joining the army, and he hopes that children will feel the same when they meet him. “I hope that one day we can have kids that are inspired by it, hopefully wanna be soldiers, defend the county, protect it,” he added.