Have you thanked a soldier today?
May 22, 2008
Today 300 students in our service area (11 classes) connected to our Let Freedom Ring: Veterans’ Stories. It was an amazing walk through history for me moderating each session. The student questions were well-prepared and asked.
The topic came up in each session about how we can honor our veterans. There was consensus from our panelists that if you see someone in uniform THANK THEM for their service to our country. In our final session, we asked Jay how we could support our deployed troops and he said that care packages and cards and letters are two of the best ways.
Students from Moody and Rosebud-Lott ISD joined our first session with two Pearl Harbor survivors and an ex-POW. J.C. Alston (survivor USS California), Leroy Wilson (ex-POW), and Frank Curre (survivor USS Tennesse) shared their amazing stories and answered questions such as “Did you have a personal weapon?”, “Where did you sleep and what did you eat?”, and “What did you do for entertainment?” As the men answered each question, they would weave in the history of the events. I also would put pictures and maps on the screen to show the students what was being described.
In our Korean War session, Billy Linthicum shared his experiences on the USS Grapple which was a salvage ship supporting our troups in Korea. Mr. Wilson stayed and shared his experiences in the Korean War where he flew 161 missions in 73 days delivering supplies and removing wounded soldiers. He did answer a few questions relating to his 3.5 years as a POW at Cabanatuan. His story of the guard nicknamed “Donald Duck” caused some laughter.
Gary Mittendorf (Marines) and Pike Anderson (Army) fielded questions for 45 minutes from Brookhaven and East Ward Elementary schools in Killeen. Questions in this session focused on how they felt leaving their families, what they ate, what the jungle was like, and if they would serve again. At the end of this session, the students at East Ward all walked in front of the camera with the THANK YOU posters that they had made and it was a great moment in videoconferencing to see the reactions from our panelists.
Norm Hungerford shared his 26-year career in the Navy with students from Moody High School. The questions ranged from “Have you ever been in a typhoon?” to “How did the assassination of JFK affect you?” to “What is the most interesting place in the world you have visited?” As we learned about sonar and radar, he taught us how to handle “Man Overboard” on an aircraft carrier!
Jay Fondren answered 30 questions related to his service in Iraq from students in Bynum, Covington, Hico, and Temple ISD. The participating students were in grades 2-7. Questions ranged from “What was the environment like?” to “How long do you think we will have a military presence in Iraq?” The questions from the middle school students really dealt with some of the tough issues facing our leaders today and Jay handled them with honesty and grace.
Have you thank a soldier today? What are your plans for Memorial Day?
Posted in Collaborative Projects
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Today was a wonderful experience. As a veteran and an educator, I was especially proud and I reminisced on my military experience. It was more than words could express to see the enjoyment, appreciation and joy on the children’s faces at being able to participate in this videoconference. Thanks for giving my babies the a great experience.
Nice summary Roxanne! Thanks for taking the time to write it up! I got some ideas to improve my sessions - I want to add the support sites to our materials so teachers can have students get involved. Also I want to add information to prepare a visual “thank you” at the end, because I think that is so special!!
5th graders sitting still? They were captivated by the stories these gentlemen told. They had good questions to ask and were anxious to hear the answers. I think that most of them understand how much we owe to these men and the thousands of other men and women that serve and served in our military. I want to say thank you and I appreciate the sacrifices you made to keep us free.
Maybe next time we can include some women that served.
Great program!!
What a great way to bring history to life. Each of my students thoroughly enjoyed visiting with the WWII veterans and Mr. Norm Hungerford. I’m very grateful to these men for their serice and for taking the time to speak to my classes. The students learned firsthand about the sacrifice that American men and women have given to their country. Each of these men had inspiring stories that made my students more appreciative of all American veterans.
You make a difference, and we can never thank you enough.
Mrs. Ruth Haigood, Moody High School
US History Class
Hello, I have found your blog via a project I am doing called ‘The 31 Day Comment Challenge’.
What an amazing teaching tool. I would have loved to have heard the soldiers stories. My son (18) was researching the Vietnam War last year for his exams - this would have been a wonderful learning experience for him. I wish more teachers had your innovative approach to teaching. best wishes from New Zealand, Sarah
Hi, Sarah,
Thanks for the comment! It is always interesting to me to see if anyone is reading the blog. I started it just to share what we are doing with videoconferencing.
The veterans that participated with us were so amazing. Their stories were incredible and inspiring and all of the students that participated said that they learned many things that were not in their textbooks. I got so caught up in their stories and looking up pictures online to share with the students that a couple of times I forgot to watch the time!
To hear the “Thank You” from each class was touching, too.
Roxanne