| The students in second grade at St. Rose of Lima were asked to write about
someone in their family or community who served in the armed forces. On
Thursday May 22, the second graders will be hosting a “USA DAY” and have
invited those veterans and relatives of those veterans to come and share
their stories that they may learn about our soldiers, and their commitment
to our flag and country. These are some of the stories from classroom 2A.
By Teslyn Autumn Sterner: My Grandpa
My grandpa was in the Army. He was a cook and an artillery operator. He
learned communications and eventually worked on the telephone systems. He
went in the service to serve his country. He did his training at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina. He was in Fort Knox, Kentucky. He served in the Korean War.
From 1951-1954 he was in the Army. It taught him skills and discipline. He
served on the Board of Directors of Foreign Wars for many years. My Pap died
in 2002 when I was two years old. I miss him so much. He always called
me “Smiley”.
By Liam Miriello: My Armed Forces Report
My report is about my pappap, Joe Behe. He was in the Navy from July 1943 to
May 1946. Some of his jobs were: yeoman, staff office, boot camp, gunner’s
helper, and K.P. duty. During the war, my pappap was in many places. Some
of the places he was at were the Chesapeake Bay, Florida, the Panama Canal,
Guantanamo Bay, San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Guam, Leyte in the Philippine
Islands, Manila, and Okinawa.During his service he earned about his
fellowman, how big and awesome the ocean is, and he’d rather be at home than
at war.
I wrote about my Pappap because I am proud that he chose to serve in the
service.
By Madison Brumley: World War Two
As a young man my great-grandfather Allen Werner, joined the U.S. Air
Force. He was a cook and a Staff Sergeant. He chose the Air Force because
he thought it would be very exciting. He grew to love and trust his fellow
men while bravely serving his country. The place where he was stationed was
Hickam Field Air Force Base in Hawaii. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese
bombed Pearl Harbor at the Hickam Field Base. After the war started,
communication was very hard. There was no telephone use allowed. The
servicemen and women were able to send and receive letters from their loved
ones, but it took a very long time. All letters were first read at a central
location to make sure there was no secret military information being
written. Many men and women died serving their country during that war. My
great-grandfather returned home safely to tell his story.
By Kelly Ann Joy Clouser: My Grandpa
I chose to write about my grandpa Nielson, (Robert Raymond Nielson). He was
in the Navy during World War II from 1943 to 1946. He went to Naval Officer
Training School in Chicago, Illinois. He was based on the Island of Borneo
which is the third largest island in the world. My grandpa’s job was to
repair radios. His job was called radio technician. He was on a patrol
torpedo. PT boats were small, fast boats used to attack big ships. President
John F. Kennedy commanded a PT boat. My grandpa got to cross the equator
while he was in the Navy. The only way he could communicate with his family
was the old fashioned United States Postal Service. My great Uncle Justin
Richard Nielson was in the United States Army during World War II also. His
job was a Russian translator. He stayed in Europe.
By Drew Robinson: My Pop Pop
My Pop Pop served in the Marines. He joined when he was 18 years old. He
retired after 20 years. He joined because his older brothers did. He served
during war time. He was in Korea, the Philippines, Japan, Viet Nam, and
Puerto Rico. He also lived in several different states. He communicated by
letter and it usually took about a week to receive it. I chose to write
about this person because he is my grandfather. He also returned safely.
By Brandon Garrett: Mr. Tom
He was in the Army from 1996-2005. He worked the forklift, crane, and the
gunner. He served in Iraq, Kuwait, Panama, Germany, and Egypt. It took
months to receive a letter. He learned special skills and discipline. Mr.
Tom received three achievements: one Good Conduct, one for his
Transportation Company, and a national medal (ARCOM). He is a very nice guy.
By Ben Speros: My Friend
My friend Richard Leon Hartman was born on April 16, 1951. He was drafted
because of the Viet Nam War but opted to join the Army National Guard. He
served basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana in 1972, where he became a
paramedic. Helping people was his major concern. He never left the states
but heard many stories of war. He would receive mail on a regular basis. I
wrote about Richard because he is my friend.
By Juliette Lilley: A Pilot and a Rice Paddy
For U.S.A. Day I am proud to write about my Uncle Norman. He fought during
World War II and at only 22years old was an honored hero. Because he loved
to fly, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and was sent to Burma to fly in a
Commando Squadron. When a fellow pilot was shot down 150 miles behind enemy
lines, Uncle Norman with his pistol at his side, grabbed two hand grenades,
jumped into his L-5 plane and flew off to help the other pilot. The only
place to land was a rice paddy but somehow Uncle Norman did it and safely
rescued Captain Hemphill. For his act of bravery he was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross. He will forever be my hero.
By Nathan Kovalick: Uncle Steve
I have an Uncle named Steve. He was in the Army National Guard. He joined
the army when he was seventeen years old. When he was twenty-two he was sent
to Iraq. He fought for our country for a year and a half. He is a true hero.
I thank him and all soldiers for protecting us and keeping us safe.
By Raegan Myers: My Uncle Greg
My Uncle Greg served in the Air Force. He chose that branch because he was
better qualified for the Air Force. His job while in the service was
Material Facility Specialist. He worked on fight lines with classified
topsecret aircraft components. He traveled to Texas, Colorado, California,
the Philippines and Egypt. He did not serve during a war. He got to call
home often to talk to family. It took two to three weeks to receive a letter
if he was over seas. If he was in the United States, it took only about a
week to get a letter. He learned a lot from being in the Air Force including
respect, responsibility, and discipline. I chose my uncle because he is very
special to me.
By Robert McLain: My Grandpa
My grandpa was in the army. I asked him some questions.
“Did you ever ride in a helicopter?” He said yes.
“Were you ever on an aircraft carrier?” He said no.
“Did you live in a jungle?” He said yes.
“What was your job?” He said that he was a radio operator.
“Did you ever throw a hand grenade?” He said yes in basic training.
| |
