HAMPSTEAD - Hampstead native U.S. Air Force Lt. Kevin Sullivan recently presented Hampstead Middle School’s Military Support Club with an American flag, which was in his plane when he flew in a mission into Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Al-Taqaddum, Iraq on Sept. 11, 2004. Sullivan is a navigator on a C-130 cargo plane.

Sullivan presented the flag to the club’s founder and adviser, Kathe Cussen, at the club’s Nov. 23 meeting. Accompanying the flag was a certificate signed by the entire flight crew from the mission.

"We were overwhelmed. That was so special! The kids and I were speechless. It was such a surprise and an honor," Cussen said.

Sullivan was visiting his parents, Michael and Claire Sullivan, for the Thanksgiving holiday and wanted to personally thank the club members for their support. He shared stories about his adventures in Qatar and Kuwait, such as navigating through thunderstorms, adapting to living conditions, and "adventures" inside the plane.

Sullivan is based at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina.

Cussen started the group in October 2001. To date, it has sponsored 37 sailors and soldiers, both men and women, through digital pictures, cards, hundreds of letters and e-mails, and 272 care packages. The group has also covered some of the military friends through two deployments.

It recently completed its holiday efforts.

"We ended up with a total of 562 holiday cards to send to our friends. I made up a handout telling about seven of our military friends who would not be home for the holidays. Middle school students, a class at Hampstead Central School, the Junior ROTC program at Pinkerton, two local nursery schools, a Girl Scout troop and families contributed to the effort. Each card sent was addressed to a specific friend," Cussen said.

This year, the club has about 30 seventh- and eighth-graders participating regularly.