PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. (Dec. 7, 2011) -- Homer's classic literary masterpiece "The Odyssey" recounts the story of the epic Greek hero, Odysseus, on his journey home after the Trojan War. He encounters a variety of obstacles like the beautiful nymph Calypso, a storm sent by Poseidon, a sea monster and a Cyclops, and the suitors who overran his palace and pillaged his land while attempting to court his wife, Penelope.

Debbie Jenks, who heads the English Department at N.B. Clements Junior High School, Prince George, brought "The Odyssey" into the ninth grade classrooms this year -- but she didn't stop there.

"I thought many of the qualities of the epic hero as perceived by the ancient Greeks were similar to the qualities we regard in our modern-day heroes," Jenks said. "I decided to have students compare the ancient epic hero to the modern-day version."

All the school needed was a few modern-day heroes to tell their epic stories, and that's when military members serving at Fort Lee became part of the lesson plan.

During a Dec. 1 assembly at the school, the ninth graders were introduced to Staff Sgt. Marcus Allen, Sgt. 1st Class Tasia Boynton, and Air Force Staff Sergeants Michael Matas and Amanda Wille. They shared stories about their military careers and the dramatic moments that made them realize the significance of their decision to serve the nation.

Matas and Wille used movie references to capture the interest of the teenagers. One of the scenes in "Transformers," for instance, shows Optimus Prime being loaded and transported by an Air Force C-17 Globemaster.

"Using popular movies to explain the air transportation career field to the students seemed like a good idea," Matas said. "It was familiar to them, and they could relate to what we were saying."

Wille shared her experience with transporting wildlife, including polar bears and the killer whale star of "Free Willy."

While those are some of the remarkable assignments air transporters may experience, Wille and Matas explained that their job is to transport anything that DoD personnel need to just about any location in the world.

"We transport food, vehicles and even grandma's cookies," said Matas, who then responded to an even more important question from the ninth graders. "Yes, I have transported a Playstation or two," she said.

Both Wille and Matas talked about the military's involvement in humanitarian missions as well, including the military's role in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and the response to Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast.

"I think the students were surprised to learn that the military is involved in non-war efforts," said Jenks.

Matas recalled a defining moment in his life as an Airman. He spent the fall of 2006 at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware shipping a large number of mine-resistant, ambush-protection vehicles to the war fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan. MRAPS replaced the up-armored Humvees that weren't holding up to the increasing improvised explosive device threat. When he deployed to Qatar in 2007, he had the opportunity to send one of the MRAPs back to the states so it could be analyzed after an IED explosion.

"The damage to the body of the vehicle was tremendous. The axles were blown off, the front end was mostly gone, and the remaining exterior panels were all burned and mangled," said Matas. "The surprise came when I pried open the door to inspect the interior. Nothing was out of place; there was no evidence of the blast inside the vehicle -- it even had a lingering new-car smell. Looking at the passenger compartment, in those 10 bucket seats I imagined 10 Soldiers or Marines who lived to fight another day. Then, I thought back to all of the MRAPs I'd shipped out of Dover and felt immensely proud of the hard work my wingmen and I had put into expediting so many of these vehicles out to the front lines. Those vehicles held the potential to save hundreds of lives, and it was a great motivator to see the effect they had first-hand."

Realizations like that one are why he continues to serve the country, Matas said.

Allen never considered the possibility of going off to war when he joined the Army in August 2001. He said he believed no one was crazy enough to attack the United States of America and was planning on a peaceful enlistment. He would stay in for three years, get his college education paid for and get out.

While standing in line for the pay phone at a basic training reception area though, Allen and his comrades were directed to report to a briefing where they would learn about the terrorist attacks along the East Coast.

"I wondered what I had I gotten myself into," said Allen. "The only thing running through my mind was that we were about to go to war."

As a fueler, he knew he would be one of the first to enter Iraq and lay the foundation for the men and women behind him. In a phrase heard often around the Petroleum and Water Department at Fort Lee, Allen told the students: "The Army can't move without me."

Allen deployed to Baghdad in January 2003. There were few living quarters, showers or latrines available in those early days of the fight. Allen's unit ate meals ready to eat and hand-washed their clothes in buckets.

"We lived outside under the stars or in abandoned buildings with 12-20 people to a room," he said. "The limited resources caused us to have a tighter bond. I will always remember my battle buddies because we became family in the midst of so much adversity and danger."

During his third deployment, Allen served as the sergeant of the guard for the entry control point at Baghram Air Field in Afghanistan. He was responsible for the safety and security of more than 18,000 military and civilian personnel, and the compound was a frequent target for mortar attacks and firefights.

Showing true service member bravado, Allen glazed over the danger he faced then and refocused on the meaning of military life. The former "short-timer" told the students he is still serving today because he feels he's contributing to something bigger than himself.

"You can go to the mall, go see a movie, go shopping or hang out with your friends freely," Allen told the students. "The work military members are doing over there have made those small freedoms possible for Iraqi citizens, too."

Allen continues the educational pursuits that influenced his enlistment, a military benefit he also made sure to impress upon the ninth grade class. He is currently working on his master's degree in theology.

Boynton shared a similar train of thought. Growing up in the military community, she recognized the educational benefits of enlistment, the opportunity to provide a better lifestyle for her family and the promise of great adventures and job experiences along the way.

An explosive ordnance technician, Boynton didn't have to say much as she addressed the students. The inert claymore mines, hand grenades, rocket launchers and projectiles she brought with her were self- explanatory. In simple terms, she said her job is to render safe any dangerous ordnance she comes across.

"This is how people learn -- by listening, seeing, touching and experiencing it for themselves," said Boynton, as the students took advantage of the rare opportunity to handle the once-deadly devices. "It also helps others realize what we do and the dangers that are inherent in our job."

Boynton spent much of her time at the assembly answering questions from the students and showing them the capabilities of the iRobot Packbot -- a remotely controlled device that EOD techs can send into hazardous areas to view or disable explosives without risking lives. She also talked about the EOD-8 bomb suit, with a nonchalant mention of its 60 percent survival rate depending on distance and the amount of explosive material.

Boynton said her scariest moment while deployed was when her unit received word about a cache of ordnance items found on a farm. In the middle of the night, a robot was sent in to examine the site, and it lost communications before they were able to observe the reported cache.

"Once we entered the area, we were in a huge firefight," said Boynton. "It felt like it lasted for hours but in reality, it was no more than 30 minutes long."

After clearing the area and beginning to sort through the ordnance items, several more mortars came in and another firefight ensued. Eventually, air support cleared out the area, and her unit was able to safely dispose of the munitions.

"I was still an inexperienced team member and junior Soldier," Boynton said. "It was quite a learning opportunity."

As the talk concluded, it was clear the students had learned something as they chatted excitedly about the stories they just heard. Unlike Odysseus, these troops were real people with real families. No mythical god decides their fate or comes to their aide. These service members fight the nation's battles, and that made an impression on the ninth grade class at N.B. Clements Junior High.

"They are our heroes," exclaimed Jenks. "I think the students realized that our modern-day heroes are much more humble than the epic ones."