By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Sgt. Erik Faris said talking to large crowds was not one of his strong points. But, it did not stop the U.S. Army Sergeant of the 94th Engineers out of Germany from addressing a group of Niles students.
Nonetheless, Faris spent Monday morning at Cedar Lane Alternative High School talking with approximately 80 students about his experiences serving in Iraq.
Faris has made two tours of the country in the last few years, including time in Baghdad and Mosul, he said.
While in Iraq, Faris said he walked through one of Saddam Hussein's palaces and came across old Iraqi currency with the former president's face on the bills.
The group asked the 34-year-old Faris about a variety of topics including the climate, the weapons and some of the landmarks.
Faris said temperatures could easily reach 130 degrees fahrenheit in the summer and would often drop close to freezing in the mountains of Mosul.
The 14-year veteran of the Army said he also spent time working at the Abu Ghraib Prison.
Faris is a native of Laconia, N.H. but now lives in Buchanan with his wife, Jill, and their 11-year-old son, Erik and 7-year-old daughter, Baylee.
The couple met in Hawaii on a military base.
Social Studies teacher Jim Barnhart said he invited Faris to Cedar Lane through Jill's mother, Jenny Wolford, who is a secretary at Cedar Lane.