Veterans Honored Through Living Memorial At Reed School

By Larissa Lytwyn

Reed Intermediate School sixth grade teachers Al Finelli and Matt Brown wanted to make sure that their students understood the “true” meaning of last week’s Veterans’ Day.

“A lot of students had friends or relatives who were veterans, or who were even serving in Iraq,” said Mr Finelli. “In fact, the son of one of our teachers [Kim Calero] is currently serving [with the Air Force].”

The teachers decided to help their students bring the honor of November 11 to life through a “living memorial,” inspired by the Vietnam War Wall of Remembrance in Washington, D.C.

The courage of both late and living veterans was commemorated.

“The [living memorial] theme was Mr Brown’s idea,” said Mr Finelli. “The kids were great — they just ran with it!”

Just like real-life memorials, students decorated the bottom of their Wall of Remembrance with a variety of mementos, from spiritually inspired depictions of holy crosses and candles to bright flowers and teddy bears.

“Students chose to research a veteran they knew who was either a blood relative or a family friend,” Mr Finelli explained. “They had to write as much as they could about them, such as the branch of military they served in, the years they served, and any special honors or medals they received.”

If a student did not have a relative or friend they knew who was a veteran, they could choose a world-famous veteran, such as Arizona Senator and Vietnam veteran John McCain or former president and World War II general Dwight D. Eisenhower.

“Everyone, then, had the chance to participate,” Mr Finelli said.

In accordance with their projects, which were graded, students studied American military history approximately from World War II to the current conflict in Iraq.

“The students’ [military] studies were inclusive and wide-reaching,” Mr Finelli noted. “It also brought in a lot of good lessons on geography, and other [academic] areas.”

Sixth grader Kristin Lynch said her great-grandfather, James Patrick Dempsey, had served in the Navy during World War II.

“Learning about my great-grandfather,” she said, “I learned a lot about the origins of Veterans’ Day itself. For example, I learned how Veterans’ Day came out of Armistice Day, which originally just honored World War I veterans.”

Laura Paik’s research on her ancestors’ history during World War II was somewhat painful.

“I learned that one of my grandfathers was running for his life in South Korea,” she said solemnly. Her maternal grandfather, Roy Brown, served in the navy between 1943 and 1953.

“While a lot of soldiers complained about the bad food or the cramped conditions, [Mr Brown] was just happy to have a hot meal and a roof over his head,” Laura said. “He grew up very poor, and the military was a way for him [to survive].”

Mr Brown later received a Purple Heart, she said, after surviving shrapnel wound in his head.

Kristen Carino, whose grandfather, Richard Albinizo, was a Navy sharpshooter from 1943 to 1952, and great-uncle, Otto Guhl, a Vietnam veteran, said studying her relatives helped her learn a lot more about her family.

“I never would have learned as much as I did [otherwise],” she said.

Mr Guhl, she noted, won a Purple Heart for two bullet wounds in his leg during Vietnam.

Katie Burch, whose grandfather, Charles Shepard, and great-uncle, William Shepard, served during World War II and the Korean War, respectively, agreed with Kristen’s assessment of their Veterans’ Day project.

“I learned a lot of information about my family that I had no clue about before,” she said.

Chris House, another student, said his great uncle and grandfather, Dick Art and Edward House, had also served during World War II and the Korean War.

“It was an interesting project, and I learned a lot,” he said.

Timmy Roberts’ grandfather, Stephen Roberts, served during the Korean War between 1952 and 1954.

“He was on the frontlines,” Timmy said. “He dug trenches and everything. And he enlisted when he was only 19!”

Today, Timmy said, his grandpa is in his 70s and resides in Bristol.

“My family visits him a lot,” Timmy said. “He’s a good grandpa. I was glad I did this project because I got to learn more about him!”