Staff sergeant visits with Oil Hill students

Staff Sgt. Denissa Granger received a standing ovation as she entered the gym at Oil Hill Elementary School Friday morning. Students had stood, forming an aisle for her to walk down and applauded her as she passed through.

Granger was visiting the school to talk with fifth and sixth graders, some of whom had been writing to her while she was deployed.

She told the students she had attended El Dorado Middle School and El Dorado High School when she was younger, going straight into the Marine Corp after graduation.

She also said she earned her college degree while in the Marine Corp and taught ROTC with children ages 11 to 16 for a while.

Being in the military runs in the family for Granger. Her father was in the Vietnam War, where he was a tunnel rat.

During Granger's time in the Marines, she has traveled to such places as Japan, Korea, Guam, Australia, Malaysia and Mongolia. Most recently, she spent 3 1/2 months in Iraq, then 3 1/2 months in Afghanistan
before she returned home last Monday.

During her last deployment, she served as a night ops chief, moving humvees back and forth between bases.

"We moved stuff to Afghanistan because they needed it more there," she said.

She answered a number of questions about the type of vehicles and weapons they use in the Marines.

She said the vehicles were more advanced and safer now than in the past.

She also talked about their gear they wear, saying they now have gloves, knee pads and elbow pads along with the rest of the gear.

When asked about what she was doing in the Middle East, she said they were trying to make sure the non-hostile people were protected.

"Our goal is they (Taliban) are so scared, they won't even touch them (the non-hostile people), and it is working," Granger said.

She also talked to the students about being one of the few women deployed.

She said on their base there were about 300 men and fewer than 20 females, and in her specific unit she was the only female. But she likes that because it makes her feel like she's doing something special and important.

Granger also has served as a rifle range coach.

She also talked about her training. She told the students about going to boot camp and how much she had to run then and still runs.

She also talked about how they live when deployed and what they eat.

When asked what was the most important thing she had to know, she said leadership.

"If you're not going to take care of your troops," she said, "they're not going to take care of you."

Another student asked if she had ever met President Obama.

She said she has not, but she did have lunch with President and Mrs. Bush when the War on Terror began.

When asked what was the best part of her job, she said the comradery.

"It's like having another family, a huge family," she said. "It doesn't matter if you know another Marine or not, they will help you out if you need it."

She offered some advice to the group.

"You can't be scared about anything you do in your life," she told the students.

"I'm here to protect all of you and to protect my kids. I'm just as likely to die here in a car accident as I am over there. You can't be afraid."

She ended her presentation by taking pictures with each of the students who had written to her and thanking them for their letters. "It makes a big difference when you write,” Granger said.