Sgt. Steven Mennemeyer was from the St. Louis area, so there was no reason to develop a bond with a New York area Cub Scout pack. No reason except the package of goodies the scouts sent to Iraq that somehow found their way into Sgt. Mennemeyer's possession. Yet that was enough.
I am a soldier with the 82nd Medical Company (air ambulance),'' Mennemeyer wrote the scouts when he received one of the packages during a medical transport mission in Baghdad. My company and I just wanted to thank you guys. Not to mention the packages were great!'' The 26-year-old sergeant, one of two soldiers from Fort Riley killed last week when their air ambulance crashed during a mission, apologized to the scouts in his letter for not having more than a unit patch to send them in return. His friends and acquaintances back in St. Louis would not have been surprised by the soldier's ability to bond so easily with an unknown bunch of kids. When they opened his files after learning of his death, they found dozens of letters from patients Mennemeyer had helped as a civilian.
These letters speak to the exemplary way Steven did his job,'' Larry Stone, a vice president with Abbott Ambulance, told the St. Louis Post Dispatch. He had such a high degree of respect and care for his patients.''
