Several veterans spoke at Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School to educate eighth graders about war history, which Vietnam vet Jerald Tedeschi said is missing in classroom lectures.
“I’m a bit embarrassed, dismayed, angered by the fact these war soldiers are not covered in the textbook like they used to when I was a kid,” said Tedeschi, who was honored as co-grand marshal at Port Washington’s Memorial Day Parade on Monday.
“Now it’s something they just gloss over with a paragraph,” he added.
Tedeschi, along with Vietnam veterans Jay Alexander, Richard Ertel, John Fiore and Peter Ripullone, Iraq veterans Cliff Cotten and Maria Salazar, and war on terror veteran Courtney Gordon-Tennant, on May 26 discussed history from their own perspective.
“It’s important that they meet the soldiers,” Tedeschi said. “They’re always enthusiastic and appreciative. I never heard any bad feedback.”
Under the guidance of their Social Studies teacher Holly Gober and English teacher Jeff Moss, the students were asked to write two interesting facts and/or comments about the veteran they spoke with.
The students met in groups of six for approximately 10 minutes per session, and then each group rotated to interview a different soldier.
Tedeschi said the interviews began with the veterans distributing a red poppy to each student. The flower is a symbol of fallen soldiers and is a salute to the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces. This flower continues to grow on World War I battle fields.
The veterans shared some historical information as well as some of their personal experiences. Several brought photos and memorabilia, Tedeschi said.
The students were interested and curious about the living conditions of each region the soldiers served in. They wanted to know what soldiers ate, where they slept, their modes of transportation, what their duties were and whether or not they interacted with civilians.
Some students asked about the soldiers’ biggest fears, the weapons they used, their opinions on the wars and whether or not we were there for the right reasons. Several asked whether the soldiers enlisted or drafted. They inquired about major events they encountered, Agent Orange and other chemicals. The two women veterans were asked how it was to be a woman in the service.
“All the soldiers that do it are so excited and thrilled and pleased that the students are so interested,” Tedeschi said. “We think it’s something that’s worth while to them and we’d go back and do it again.”
