Brownies thrilled to meet their soldier pen pal

By Sonia Krishnan
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES The members of Brownie Girl Scout Troop 2272 gather around Spc. Francis Bergford. When the girls found out he was on leave, they wanted to meet the trooper they'd been sending care packages so they organized a potluck to honor him.

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The routine of military life in Iraq is like breathing. It's so ingrained in Spc. Francis Bergford that he carries out his movements without even thinking.

Wake up. Shower. Throw on fatigues, body armor, helmet. Bear another day of that hot desert sun, with the sand in his throat and an ache in his heart for his loved ones.

When the first care package arrived from Brownie Girl Scout Troop 2272 in Bothell this summer, Bergford, 24, was flattered. His 9-year-old cousin Isabel belonged to that troop.

It was great to get these reminders from home — not to mention a little ego boost. The girls e-mailed him with questions. What's your favorite food? Can you fry an egg in the sun? Do you wear sunglasses? He answered them from a cybercafe that charged $5 an hour for Internet use.

"It was like a personal fan club," he said. Then Bergford came back to the States Saturday for a two-week leave. The Brownies found out he would be in Olympia visiting his family. They were ecstatic. Last night, they arranged a potluck dinner for him at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Bothell.

"I wanted you to see the faces of the girls you're fighting for," said Kelly Clark, Brownie troop leader.

Bergford's eyes reddened. He didn't expect to be hit with emotion.

"To me, it's like, everyday I go out there and do what I signed up to do," he said later. "You don't think that there are these little kids who look up to you. I wasn't thinking I would cry or anything. ... But it gets you."

Bergford wasn't prepared for what war can do to your perspective on life. He finds it especially disorienting being back home. One day, he's dodging fire, and the next, he's in line at Starbucks waiting to buy a mocha, he said.

"I just appreciate the little things so much now. I mean, I come back here and to have a bed, an actual toilet and running water ... you just have no idea."
 
His grandfather, Lee Sinclair, sees a maturity in his grandson since he left for Iraq nine months ago. He beams with pride when he talks about Bergford.

"These young girls are going to have this memory for the rest of their lives. And when he goes back, I know the Lord will take care of him," he said. "We're praying for him to come home real soon."

Bergford returns to Iraq next week. He has 86 more days until his assignment is up.

He brought a present for the Brownies last night — a signed photo of his platoon and a flag that flew over one of the camps called Camp Patriot. The girls are going to use it for their official flag for Troop 2272.

It was the least he could do, he said. They've given him so much.

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com