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Regular
classes were suspended for the day as students participated in the
eighth annual "Veterans for a Change" day. Today’s
presentations at West Lincoln-Broadwell School marked the final
event in a month-long acknowledgement of U.S. veterans.
[Chris Cliburn shows students how WWII soldiers would
have fixed their guns]
Area
veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War who
participated in today’s Veterans for a Change event included Kenny
Davison, Denny Eveland, Kenneth Kasebier, C. Wayne Schrader, Rich
Luttrell, Hal Fritz, Thomas Proctor, Arnie Haak, Glenn Kniss and
Larry Spialek.
"The
Veterans for a Change program has brought a lot of important people
here to visit throughout the years," said Gordon Lanning,
junior high social studies teacher and organizer of the event.
"We do this for the kids so that they can appreciate the
sacrifices veterans have made."
Students
brought in pocket change throughout the past month to be given to
various veterans organizations. Also, the students completed a
multitude of special projects that now adorn the school’s halls.
Mrs. Phillis Read, junior high language arts teacher, assigned her
students to write a diary as if they were soldiers. "These
projects are helping the students learn and appreciate the living
history of these folks," said Read.
[Many veterans shared poems, stories and thoughts
about what freedom and the American Flag means to them]
That
certainly was the case for Shawn Pettit, a 1997 graduate of West
Lincoln-Broadwell School, who came back today dressed in fatigues as
a member of the Illinois National Guard. The Lincoln Community High
School senior became interested in military service while talking
with veterans at one of the first "Veterans for a Change"
days. "The first few years I was mostly interested in the
weapons and medals they displayed. In about fifth grade I began to
understand what the veterans did for me," said Pettit. This
summer Pettit will attend a 15-week boot camp. Thereafter he will
commit one weekend every month and two weeks out of the year to
National Guard in exchange for full college tuition. He will study
criminal psychology in hopes of one day joining the FBI.
Students
rotated around 10 "camps" listening to messages from local
veterans.
Korean
War veteran Wayne Schrader of Lincoln reminded students about the
importance of the American flag and how it should be displayed. He
also explained how it is folded to present to the family of a
soldier who has died. He encouraged the kids to say "thank
you" to anyone they meet who was in the service.
[Mr. Glenn Kniss of Springfield recounted stories of
his time as a German POW]
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Glenn
Kniss of Springfield had been a prisoner of war near Neubrandenberg,
Germany. He explained that cigarettes were a measure of wealth even
for those who didn’t smoke. The prisoners had very small rations
of food, but the cigarettes could be used to trade for fresh bread
and meats. In exchange for having his picture taken when he entered
the POW camp, Kniss even gave cigarettes to a German guard. "We
(the prisoners) taught each other how to best cooperate with the
Germans to stay alive," recalled Kniss with a tear in his eye.
"I don’t know how we would have survived without the Lord’s
Prayer and ‘God Bless America.’"
[1997 West Lincoln - Broadwell graduate Shawn Pettit
poses with students. Pettit, who is a senior at LCHS has recently
enlisted in the Illinois National Guard]
Thomas
Proctor of Springfield reminded the students that despite all the
high-tech planes and weapons in war, "The cheapest defense you
have in war is prayer." The 83-year-old veteran was lucky not
to be one of the 125 Illinoisians killed on Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl
Harbor. A Japanese plane came within a few feet of Proctor on that
fateful day. On another occasion, Proctor came face to face with an
enemy soldier but was not shot. He said, "I think he must have
been out of ammunition, or else I would have been dead."
Proctor
was adamant when he said, "This is gruesome, but I’m not
going to cover anything up. I want you young people to know what war
is like." He went on to vividly tell several stories about his
experiences in Guadalcanal and Bougainville in the Soloman Islands.
He
also reminded the students not to stare at veterans who have been
disfigured by war injuries. "Always remember that nothing is
free. It’s got to come from your back, your brain and your
heart."
Rich
Luttrell of Rochester worked as a tunnel rat during his yearlong
Vietnam tour in 1967-68. This is the third year that he has
participated in the Veterans for a Change program at West Lincoln-Broadwell
and he knows to be on his toes when students ask questions.
"The last thing you want to do is traumatize them,"
Luttrell said of some of his difficult memories from Vietnam.
[Seventh Graders Danny Palmer and Amy Behle try their
hand at properly folding the American flag under the watchful eye of
Korean Veteran Mr. Wayne Schrader]
Although
not a veteran himself, Chris Cliburn of Springfield led students in
an interesting discussion of his collection of World War II
uniforms, weapons and accessories displayed on the school lawn.
Cliburn also participates in Civil War and 1830s re-enactments and
has traveled to Europe for World War II re-enactments. He speaks to
school students about six times a year. "It’s important that
students have an awareness of history, because much of this stuff
doesn’t make it into history books anymore," he said.
[Marty
Ahrends]
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Hands
are for helping
 [OCT.
25, 2000]
The
Logan County AmeriCorps members have collaborated with Sojourn in
putting together a project titled "Hands are not for Hitting,
Words are not for hurting." The Logan County AmeriCorps members
have distributed materials to teachers interested in using the
project with their classes. The materials include posters, stacks of
cut-out hands for students, and information for teachers to present
about how "hands are not for hitting, and words are not for
hurting." The students then sign their names on the hands,
pledging not to use their hands to hit for one month.
In
response to the project, some teachers asked the AmeriCorps to
provide additional support and follow-up. There will be assemblies
with a skit on Thursday, Oct. 26, at the following schools:
- Elkhart School, 9 a.m.
- Mount Pulaski School, 1
p.m.
- Central School, 2 p.m.
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Chosen
for District 4 band are Blinn Bates, Kirsten Gandenberger and Luke
Gerardot, alto sax; Molly Johnson, flute; and Joel Andreasen,
trumpet.
Chosen
for district orchestra are Rachel Buchholz, trumpet, and Michael
Kasa, trombone.
Doug
Rohrer was chosen for district choir.
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These
musicians will perform in concert on Nov. 4 at Western Illinois
University.
Jason
Yarcho, piano, and Billy Barmes, drums, were chosen for the District
Jazz Festival, hosted by Jacksonville High School on Nov. 18.
[News
release from Tony Corpus, LCHS band director]
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Hunter
is awarded Humphrey
Watson
is awarded Behrends Scholarship
at Lincoln College