WASHIGNTON (Army News Service, June 21, 2011) -- Students participating in the National History Day contest laid a wreath of white flowers at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Monday, to honor fallen servicemen and women.
Fifteen high school students are visiting the nation's capital this week as part of the National History Day summer institute, studying D-Day. Each student learned about a veteran from their respective hometown who is buried in the American cemetery at Normandy, France.
The program brought the students to Washington to listen to lectures at the University of Maryland and tour monuments related to World War II, before traveling to France.
Amid a crowd of onlookers and fellow contest participants, four students -- Amanda Hoskins, Joshua Campbell, Jeremiah Tate and Civil Air Patrol Cadet Airman First Class Kate Davis -- placed the wreath at the foot of the Tomb of the Unknowns. The students were guided by Soldiers from the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard," who stand vigil there.
Davis explained the wreath was to honor Soldiers that fell during the D-Day invasion, as well as the unknowns buried at the Tomb. She is studying Capt. John A. Kulp, 8th Infantry Regt., 1st Infantry Division, for her National History Day project.
“The four who presented just now were truly poised and respectful,” Cathy Gorn, executive director of National History Day said, “and their sense of self-esteem, I think, has just gone through the roof.”
“It’s a beautiful thing to experience the history of the United States in its rawest form, in the nation’s capital, so I’ve been enjoying it so far,” said Campbell.
Though this is his fourth year participating in National History Day, he has never seen the changing of the guard before, let alone been part of a wreath ceremony. He said being part of that ceremony was an honor in itself.
Campbell is studying 1st Lt. William Gaillard of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regt., 82nd Airborne Division.
Students from across the nation participate in National History Day, an academic program for elementary and secondary schools, where they choose a historical topic related to a theme and conduct extensive research, according to the official National History Day website. After interpreting their sources and coming to a conclusion about the topic’s historical significance, students present their work and enter it in the competition.
The program ends in the Kenneth E. Behring National Contest each June at the University of Maryland, College Park.
“The purpose is to help students understand historical perspective so they can understand where we are right now, and help make better decisions in the future,” Gorn said. “It’s about good citizenship. If you don’t know your history, then democracy could be in trouble.”
Hoskins, who is studying 1st Sgt. Henry S. Golas of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, thinks that the National History Day program is a great experience. She explained that students study many aspects of their assigned Soldiers’ life, from what they were like at home, to what they were doing in Normandy and where they landed.
“Researching about J.W. Vaughn, I think I learned a lot about what (Soldiers) experienced during the war, and what decisions they had to make,” Tate said. “I learned how much they put into the battle.”
Tate’s Soldier was a major with the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regt., 101st Airborne Division.
“When we’re in Normandy, I think it will give us more of a personal connection because we’ve really gotten to do a lot of research about these Soldiers, and we really have been able to connect with them in ways that I don’t think any of us ever thought that we would be able to,” Hoskins said.
Philanthropist and World War II veteran Albert H. Small sponsored all 15 students in the program. Small became involved with National History Day about a year ago.
“He told me at that time that his dream was to see that high school kids could go to Normandy and feel sacrifice,” Gorn said.
“He’s a great benefactor and it’s an opportunity for kids to have chance to understand the sacrifices -- it’s one thing to read it in a textbook, it’s another thing to see it for yourself. That’s a gift,” she said, adding that the experience will be truly life-changing for these students.
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