Somers 6th Grade Students Honor Local Hero

The assembly may have only lasted 20-minutes, but the significance of the time spent Wednesday morning in the Mabelle B. Avery Middle School gymnasium was not lost on the sixth grade class.

Students gathered that morning to honor local hero SFC Micah Welintukonis through the national Help a Hero program and the 3-Points on Purpose (POP) program, which encourages students to dream big about what they are capable of accomplishing.

“This is a great opportunity to show the community what kind of people you are,” Principal Susan Muirhead said to the class, adding, “You should be very proud of your accomplishments.”

Welintukonis, a former volunteer EMT with the Somers Fire Department, is a combat paramedic with the Army’s 174th Infantry Brigade out of Fort Dix. Welintukonis was critically injured in an attack in Afghanistan on July 9, 2012, while rescuing other soldiers. It was his third tour of duty. Because of his actions, he's been awarded the Purple Heart.

Welintukonis was treated for his injuries at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesdia, MD, where he underwent several surgeries and was expected to remain at the hospital until early 2013. On Wednesday, he surprised the students by attending the assembly, during which the students presented $4,390 in donations that they’d collected since August for his family.

Welintukonis called the students’ efforts "inspiring, humbling and deeply moving." He thanked them for their donation and added that they are the “epitome of what 3-POP is.”

"You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take," Welintukonis said, alluding to the POP motto to “aim, shoot and win.”

“God never gives us something we can't handle,” he added.

Student Eddie Genece, 11, said that the class focused on the simple, yet effective, ways to raise money for the Wilintuckonis family, such as selling self-popped popcorn and hot water for hot chocolate at a football game in town. That night they raised $180.

"It made me feel really good to be able to help," Genece said. "It was one of the best feelings I've ever had."

During the assembly, First Selectwoman Lisa Pellegrini called Welintukonis a true inspiration, and said that he continues to be “in all our prayers and in our hearts."

As an example of that inspiration, one of the 3-POP organizers, Renata Bowers, said, "Micah wasn't supposed to be here today... and yet he's home."

The 6th grade class has nominated Welintukonis for the American Red Cross Hero's award.