Stop-lossed DV grad finds support from Sierra

Veterans Day may have passed, but kids, parents and teachers at Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary showed their support Wednesday for an Ahwatukee Foothills resident stationed in Iraq.

The kids of Holly Martin and Hope Massar's classrooms collected 29 packages worth of supplies for John Torba, a Desert Vista High School graduate who is a specialist for the U.S. Army.

Torba visited Sierra back in August before he left for his final tour in Iraq with the possibility of deployment to Afghanistan. He was stop-lossed, his mother, Cathy Torba said, but she hopes that he will return home for good in January.

The message to the community and the United States as a whole is not to forget that there are still American men and women fighting and dying everyday overseas.

Cathy Torba said that while the American population was worrying about the election on Nov. 4, her son and his fellow soldiers were worried about staying alive.

"(John) wakes up everyday and makes sure the guy to his left and the guy to his right are safe," she said. "That's his priority. They are there for each other and they fight for each other."

This is the second time Martin has put together a collection of goods for Torba. In 2007, her classroom at the time collected 22 packages.

On Wednesday, a congregation of more than 50 people made the walk from Sierra, down Desert Foothills Parkway, to the post office to ship the 29 packages. Police escorted the group on the walk.

"Holly chooses someone every year to incorporate into her classroom," Cathy Torba said. "The past two years, it has been John. She wants the kids to realize that there are people out there who need things."

John, when he visited Sierra on Aug. 27, told the group that many of the items he receives he gives to Iraqi children. Things like candy, soccer balls and other sporting goods really make a difference in the lives of these children, he told the students.

Cathy encourages people to find a soldier stationed overseas to show their support for what the military is trying to accomplish.

"Find someone, it doesn't have to be John Torba," she said. "They need support. There are people still over there and fighting the battle."