Eighth grade students at Wilbur Pence Middle School got a special visit Wednesday morning from Capt. Andrew Marsh, a soldier they sponsored.

Kathy Buracker led the effort to sponsor her son-in-law and his troops while they were serving overseas.

It all started with the first gift she sent him.

"We knew he had a love for coffee, and my husband and I sent over a coffee machine," says Buracker, who is a math teacher at Wilbur Pence. "We started sending over all these coffee packages, and the troops loved it."

Soon enough, her students were joining in on the effort.

All of the items were being sent to the front lines.

Marsh's visit comes after President Barack Obama declared an end to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"The people are ready, their military is ready, and they are a sovereign nation," says Marsh, when talking about the transition of leadership to Iraq.

Now that Marsh is home, he was able show students pictures of his experiences in Iraq and thank them for their efforts.

While Americans may have doubts about the future stability of Iraq, Marsh gave his insight into the matter.

"I have full confidence in the Iraqi Army, the Iraqi police, and the government there," explains Marsh. "It's funny for me to come back and listen to everybody say they're scared of the Iraqis leading their country. That's what they've been doing for the past six months to a year."

Marsh also said it feels great to be home, and the thing he is looking forward to most is spending time with his wife and four-month-old son.

His main message to students Wednesday was: Don't take anything for granted and never forget how blessed you are.