The American flag is flying at half-staff outside Park Forest Elementary School, and inside, children are paying tribute to soldiers still in combat.

"Why are you here?" third- and fourth-grade teacher John Zimmerman asked a group of about 30 students seated at computers.

"To write thingies to these people," replied Ben Dreschel, 7, pointing to a picture on his screen.

"Who are these people?"

"Soldiers," five or six students shouted out.

"Where are they?"

"Iraq," a chorus of several tiny voices responded.

The children in Park Forest's computer lab range from kindergartners to fifth graders. They are part of a larger group called Kids Involved in Doing Service (KIDS) that sends volunteers to various places in the area like nursing homes, said Kathy Kerrick, the group's director.

Tuesday afternoon, however, Zimmerman and secretary Mollie Craig were helping them log on to the Web site www.pahousegop.com, where there is an icon that reads "Support Our Troops."

The Web site is partisan, devoted to promoting Republican Party politics in the state House of Representatives. It features opinion pieces from representatives criticizing Democrats as well as Gov. Ed Rendell's hastily passed budget.

The children quickly clicked and scrolled their way through the Web site until they came to a screen that allowed them to type a general message to troops overseas.

Corinna Munn, 11, and Shara Chopra, 6, were seated together in front of a keyboard contemplating what to write. Munn helped Chopra navigate the site and type.

Chopra decided on something short and sweet: "Thank you for helping our country," her message read. Munn, who said she loves writing, went a little further with her letter. First, she thanked the troops, then continued, "I am near to my home, unlike you. I hope that wherever you are, you are well."

Zimmerman, 55, a former Green Beret, darted around the room helping children having trouble and giving them suggestions on what to write. He said the children obviously had at least a general sense of the situation in Iraq and had a good idea of what they wanted to say.

Zimmerman, who served 13 months in Vietnam, said receiving letters was one of the most important parts of the day for troops.

"Mail was like blood to us," he said. "We lived for mail. Even before eating ... before taking a shower, you wanted to get your mail."

Other elementary schools in the area said they were not sure how to have their students send messages overseas, because the post office -- due to the possibility of terrorism -- will send back anything that does not have a specific soldier's name on it. Zimmerman said this was a problem for Park Forest until Craig received e-mail about the Web site Monday night.

Zimmerman added it is a tough decision to talk about the war with children so young, and he has decided that if they do not ask, he will not say anything. He did recall one situation, however, when a student was describing images of explosions on television to a friend as "cool."

Zimmerman said he did not want to go into detail with the student, but he wanted the boy to know that war is not "cool" like an action movie.

"I just told him, 'This is not something you play with your Nintendo,' " Zimmerman said.