It was all 6-year-old Hayden’s idea.

Six-year-old Hayden Mason from Guiding Light Christian Education Center writes a letter to a sergeant serving in Iraq. Jackie Leatherman/News-Herald Photo.

Betsey Hoyt’s first and second grade combined class at Guiding Light Christian Educational Center was talking about Veterans Day recently when 6-year-old Hayden Mason raised his hand and asked if the class could write the soldiers and thank them.

Hoyt took the inspiration and ran with it.

Thanks to Hayden, Sgt. Russel T. Richardson, an Arizona National Guardsman currently serving in Iraq, is about to learn some facts worthy of a chuckle from each of Hoyt’s students.

On Friday, they each wrote a letter to Richardson and will include packages of Oreo cookies. Hoyt found the guardsman through AnySoldier.com, a Web site that connects citizens to soldiers serving overseas.

“It’s something from home,” said Hoyt. “Getting letters from children in their own home state, coming at a time when most of them are missing their families. I think it is great that they will be receiving a letter from a child saying ‘thank you,’ and ‘I love you.’”

Seven-year-old Jordan Johnson said she looks forward to sending her letter.

“Some of them, it’s their first time and I feel happy to send them a note from me,” she said.

And Mason, who said his letter was a little long, said there was one reason behind his idea: “So I can be nice,” he said. “So we can be nice to them.