More than 1,000 cranes will be strung in a lei and given to Schofield Barracks troops leaving for war and retuning home. Prior to that ceremony the lei will travel to St. John Vianney School in Kailua where Lt. Col. Michael J. McMahon's three sons attend school.

McMahon, Chief Warrant Officer Travis W. Grogan, 31, and Spc. Harley D. Miller, 21 — all with the Schofield-based 25th Infantry Division (Light) — were killed in a plane crash in the mountains of Afghanistan on Nov. 27.

McMahon was buried at West Point yesterday.

The hope is that the colorful lei will bring comfort to his sons and let them know that people care about them, said Florimonte. The children at St. John Vianney, including McMahon's sons, will also fold cranes and add to the lei.

After their class yesterday, the Kahuku students shared what the project meant to them. Some, reluctant to speak, gave one-word answers like "peace," "challenging" and "humanity."

Others thought it was fun, good for the soul and a helpful learning experience.

"It gave me a whole new perspective on helping people," said Naili Vierra, 17. "I love helping people but I never pictured myself helping a family who is in need because they lost a loved one. I've never done this before and it changed me."

Marilyn Koch, 17, said she wasn't sure about the project at first but was touched that her teacher wanted to do it because she was upset over the death of McMahon. Koch said that she's opposed to war, but that she's sure McMahon's sons will like the lei because she would appreciate the effort if she were in their place.

"This is good because it is in honor of their father," she said.

Art teacher Florimonte said she had limited ties to the McMahons — her parents know the family through their church. So she wasn't prepared for her reaction to the lieutenant colo-

el's death after witnessing her parents' grief and watching the sons speak about losing their father and how he remains in their hearts, she said.

"It was a personal thing," said Florimonte, 29. "I wanted to do something and I asked my students if we could do this as an art therapeutic thing for the boys."

The idea was to show the boys that other people were thinking about them — people they did not know, she said, adding that involving the McMahon boys in the project would be a means of healing as well.

But once the project got under way, students openly discussed their personal stories about the war and people in their lives involved with it, Florimonte said.

"It lead to incredible conversations and for me as a teacher, I felt touched," she said.

The crane is a symbol of long life in Japanese culture and became the symbol of peace when a young Hiroshima survivor contracted leukemia at the age of 12, Florimonte said.

The survivor, Sadako, was told that if she folded a 1,000 cranes her wish would be

granted, but she died before completing her project. Her friends continued the project and eventually raised a monument to the child in the name of peace.

As part of the Kahuku project, students learned about Sadako, Florimonte said.

The lei will go to St. John Vianney School on Sunday.

Jane Quinn, principal at St. John Vianney, said the school was pleased to participate in the project because it gave students a tangible way to show they cared.

"Mike McMahon knew many of our students," Quinn said. "They had fun with him and the loss is personal."

Students in Grades 4 through 8 — about 150 of the school's 300 students — will make the cranes, she said.

"We thought it was really nice that the students in Kahuku who did not know Mike McMahon wanted to do something to show their care for his family," Quinn said. "This is a gift of aloha."

Kathleen Turner, public affairs officer for the Army,

said Schofield has received dozens of calls from schools, businesses, organizations and individual who want to show their support for the troops. Each one is appreciated, she said.

"People are really stepping up and showing their support," Turner said. "And some don't even know these soldiers. They're just giving of themselves and they don't have to do this."