Veterans make history come alive

Teens see faces of service, bravery

By Cynthia Cantrell, Globe Correspondent, 11/29/2001

EWTON - Fifteen-year-old Claire Dunning, a sophomore at Newton North High School, was in English class on Sept. 11 when news of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington were announced.

''I remember feeling so confused; I didn't really understand what had happened,'' Dunning said. ''I was sort of nervous and distracted in my classes the rest of the day.''

Like many students, Dunning said the threat to America has made her more aware of the ongoing sacrifices of the nation's armed forces, both domestic and abroad. A recent visit by war veterans to Newton North High School seemed to reinforce students' respect for those who answered America's call to duty in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars.

''They're all so brave,'' said Dunning. ''It's great just to be here, learning what they went through.''

Sophomore Brett McCabe, 15, said he saw the movie ''Pearl Harbor'' but was more affected by the personal stories shared by the veterans. Senior Richard Shum, 17, agreed that it was valuable to hear a firsthand account of subjects that - until now - had been discussed only in a classroom. ''We have to learn from the past,'' he said, ''and it's more convincing to hear about it from someone who's been there.''

Alfred Guzzi Jr., Newton's veterans' agent, said he scheduled the four-hour program (any portion of which students could attend) at Newton North High School this year after receiving positive feedback from last year's debut at Newton South High School. In fact, Guzzi conducted a return engagement at Newton South on Nov. 14 to complement Veterans Day activities.

''The goal is for students to gain insight into what really goes on during a war,'' said Guzzi, noting that about 7,000 veterans live in Newton. In all, he said, 320 Newton residents were killed in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. ''That level of understanding is especially important in light of the events of Sept. 11.''

Newton Mayor David Cohen introduced the veterans by noting that some of them had just graduated from high school when they went into the service.

''They knew what they had to do, and they overcame those challenges. [Their actions] defined what kind of people they'd be,'' Cohen told the students, ''and some time in the future you'll have moments that will define the rest of your lives.''

World War II veteran Philip Geller opened the program by giving students a lesson on flag etiquette and detailing his experiences in the Air Force, which included flying 41 combat missions over Italy, Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, and Hungary.

''Regardless of our religion and social backgrounds, we knew we had to be a team,'' Geller said of his 10-man crew. ''We wanted to do a job and come back alive. And here I am.''

World War II veteran Sam Glass said that just as the students undoubtedly remember where they were when they heard about the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, he recalls exactly what he was doing when he learned that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941: playing ping-pong with a fellow student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

An Army veteran who served in the Military Intelligence Service, Glass drew a laugh from the audience when he noted that he was the only person he knew who had ever refused a Purple Heart. While he was in the hospital nursing a leg injury sustained in a football game, he said, soldiers wounded in the June 1944 invasion of Normandy filled the hospital beds around him. One day, he recalled, a high-ranking officer visited the soldiers, distributing Purple Hearts all around. When he explained the circumstances of his injury, Glass said, the officer took back the medal.

The mood of the audience turned somber, however, when World War II POWs Al Iodice, Mayo Larkin, and Stanley Rosoff took the stage to describe the fear, hunger, and exhaustion they suffered during their ordeals. Iodice served in the Army, while Larkin and Rosoff were stationed with the Air Force in England and Italy, respectively.

''When we reached New York and saw the Statue of Liberty, guys broke down and cried like babies, myself included,'' Rosoff recalled. ''I joined my family and thanked God I got home safe and sound.''

Though all the veterans recalled how happy they were to return home, they also agreed that their time in the military was overall a positive experience. Dennis Sanchez, an Army corpsman who was awarded a Purple Heart and three Bronze Stars, said his service as a 20-year-old medic in Vietnam was rewarding and fulfilling, despite the war's unpopularity back home.

''The rallying call today is `United We Stand.' In Vietnam, we stood alone,'' he said. ''Being a veteran doesn't define who I am, but it helps define many of the things I believe in: freedom and liberty. I had to go to Vietnam to learn that lesson.''

Korean War veteran Tom Shoemaker, past department commander of the American Legion, said he is proud to have served his country and urged students interested in doing the same to pursue their dream. When asked how his torpedo training in the Navy benefited him later in the civilian workplace, Shoemaker said the military's overriding emphasis on responsibility has made him a better person.

''The military isn't all John Wayne. I didn't have a glorious job; I never got shot at, or even left the US,'' he said. ''Some [military personnel] become cooks or office managers. And if you don't want to join, there's nothing wrong with that either. It takes all kinds of men and women to make America.''

At the end of Shoemaker's question-and-answer period, 17-year-old senior Diane DiMambro told him, ''You did a great job.''

''Thank you,'' he replied. ''You can do it, too.''

This story ran on page W8 of the Boston Globe on 11/29/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.