When it comes to history, students typically rely on books and lectures to increase their knowledge of the past.
Rarely do they have an opportunity to learn history from the people who lived it.
That’s why it was so special when a group of 11 veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War spent the day at Oxford High School April 2 sharing their experiences and thoughts with freshmen in U.S. history classes. It’s an annual event.
‘We bring them in as a way for students to get a human connection to what we teach,? explained OHS teacher Andrea Olesky. ‘It really sparks interest.?
Veterans included Randy Stetson, Greg Jones, Gerald Lawson, Ed Cline, Jim Hubbard, Charles Haskin, Kim Munoz, Mike Ledford, Jim Parkhurst, Rick Moorhead and Paul Gramey.
These old soldiers provided students with personalized, detailed accounts of what the war was like from daily life in the hot, rainy jungles of southeast Asia to the guerrilla warfare tactics employed by the Vietcong.
They talked about what it felt like to be an 18-or-19-year-old American kid thrust into a violent foreign land on the other side of the world.
They shared with students the serious problems many veterans faced when they returned home such post-traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism, drug addiction and homelessness. They talked about the veterans who never made it home because they were either prisoners of war or missing in action.
Some stories were sad. Some stories were funny. Some stories were inspiring.
All of them were interesting and offered unique perspectives on the most controversial war in American history.
Olesky is ‘always in awe that these guys can still tell their stories, that they have the courage to tell their stories.?
‘I love just being around them,? she said.
Though many of them now have gray hair or walk a little slower than they used to, the passion, pride and pain in these veterans? voices was not dulled by the passage of time.
‘It’s great to sit back as a teacher and see these kids get so engrossed in it,? Olesky said. ‘I’m engrossed in it, too. Every year, you learn something new.?
Overall, Olesky said students ‘loved? the experience.
‘They loved that they could ask personal questions,? she said. ‘They loved that they could make connections (to stories they’ve heard from their family members).?
Olesky was particularly proud of the students who took the time to personally express their appreciation for the sacrifices these men made so long ago.
‘I was very delighted to see a lot of students shook the veterans? hands and thanked them for their service,? she said.