PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Youngsters visiting the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia today got to speak live on this veteran’s day to an active duty soldier on duty not far from the afghan war zone.

Students from the Patterson Mill Middle/High School in Bel Air, Md. were touring the Art of the American Soldier exhibition when they came to the end and found a laptop hooked up to a video conference link.

A group gathered around the computer and camera to send greetings to Sgt. Maj. Woodrow Ishman of Augusta, Ga., on station at Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

Lindsay Russell, a 13-year-old from Bel Air, thinks it was awesome speaking with a soldier half-a-world away.

Russell says, “I thought that it was nice because you don’t really get to that often.”

What Russell say to him?

“I said: ‘Hi’ and I asked him what time it was.”

Reporter: “What did it make you feel like when you had the chance to talk to somebody who’s defending our freedom?”

“I thought it was nice and very comforting.”

For Ishman, the brief chats with the teens is a great morale booster.

Ishman says, “It’s always great to know that you have support from home. It gives you that extra edge to keep your mind clear and keep you focused on the things that you’re dealing with here. It’s just awesome.”

Reported by Mark Abrams, KYW Newsradio