Here was a school that was working
District 112
Few of us can imagine going to work knowing there's a fair chance they might not be alive at day's end. Now imagine yourself as a 20-year-old bombardier on a U.S. B24; your mission: bombing enemy submarines in World War II.
This is the story told to sixth-grade classes at Chaska Middle School East by Roy 'Uncle Roy' Anderson of Burnsville last week. Capt. Anderson, 90, a Purple Heart recipient of the 8th Air Force was guest speaker at two of 'Mr. T.'s' Social Studies classes.
We had the privilege of picking Anderson and his wife up and driving them to and from the school.
We were amazed at the friendly, hand waving reception we got; four senior citizens walking through a school at lunchtime! Teachers opening doors, students smiling and waving and members of the school administration thanking us for coming made the experience unforgettable.
And imagine a classroom full of students, a few hours away from spring break, giving Uncle Roy their full, undivided and nearly reverent attention. It was as if each student could feel what Anderson felt as he left for work on each of those bombing runs 70 years ago: Could today be the last day of my life?
Their questions were reasoned, caring and sensitive: How did you feel about Hitler? What was it like to see friends and comrades not return from their runs? How did you feel as you dropped your bombs? (Answer: I prayed they would only land on enemy submarines and bad people.)
It was impossible to leave the school, accompanied by the principal who thanked each of profusely for coming, without the feeling that here was a school that was working – one that was educating and training young people in the right way to become effective and caring adults.
Uncle Roy was excited to be invited to talk with next year's sixth-graders.
Captain Anderson was invited to speak to Mr. T's classes by sixth-graders Leif Ewald, last year, and Ava Ewald this year. Leif and Ava are Anderson's grandnephew and grandniece and live in Victoria.
Ginny and Doug Ewald
Minnetonka
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Flag raising at garden shop hits home [opinion]
The morning after a storm that snapped tree branches, sent people to their basements and trash cans to the curbs, I was sitting in a line of traffic adjacent to a small family-owned garden store. A woman out front of the garden shop struggled to untangle flagpole ropes twisted in the storm. Hunched over in an awkward position, she couldn't seem to get a grip on them. I wondered why she wasn't using both hands when a swatch of red and white peeked out from under her arm. She was holding a folded flag beneath her elbow pressed tightly to her side. With the flagpole lines finally free, she attached the flag, taking care that it didn't touch the ground. Old Glory was halfway up the pole when the traffic resumed moving. The woman who raised the flag has probably done that hundreds of times, but I was glad to be there at that particular time, to see her respectful handling of Old Glory and to watch the stars and stripes reach for the sky. My dad fought under that flag, as did two of his brothers, one who never made it home. I have a total of six uncles who served under that flag. Two made the military a career. My mother-in-law, brother-in-law and our son-in-law all served under that flag. Served sounds so easy. Combat, bombs, gunfire, tanks, makeshift hospitals, sleeping in tents, land mines, Agent Orange, suicide bombers and open burn pits. Nobody ever comes home the same. Some never come home. The lives of those who serve are upended just like the lives of everyone who loves them, prays for them and waits for them. We fly the flag from our front porch almost every day. To us, it is a reminder of the long and bloody road to freedom and a nod of gratitude to all who have served. Those red and white stripes and stars on a field of blue are so powerful they can temporarily unite opposing teams on football fields, baseball fields, soccer fields and basketball courts. That flag can trigger the roar of the crowd at the Indy 500 and NASCAR races. In rare moments, that flag can even still warring political factions at our nation's capital. Old Glory represents our shared history as well as our shared hope for the future. I called the garden shop and told the man who answered the phone that I'd watched someone raise the flag in front of their business that morning and appreciated it. 'You know why we have that done every day?' he asked. 'My dad served in World War II.' Lori Borgman is a columnist, author and speaker. Her new book, 'What Happens at Grandma's Stays at Grandma's' is now available. Email her at lori@
Fox News
5 hours ago
- Fox News
Reporter's Notebook: Recalling an American WWII hero who helped fight off Nazi forces during Normandy invasion
The 81st anniversary of the famous U.S.-led D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, was recently commemorated. Less well-known are the battles during the days and weeks that followed in Normandy, which helped secure the massive beachhead, so the allies could go on and defeat Nazi Germany in World II. One of those clashes was at a bridge over a small river near the town of Sainte-Mère-Église. Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division landed near there early on the morning of June 6, 1944. They had to hold the position against Germans threatening American forces who came ashore at Utah beach, one of the main landing sites. One of those was Iowa-born 31-year-old U.S. Army Staff Sgt. William Owens. For three days, as his unit was cut down in combat from 45 to just 12 men, he bravely helped fight off the Germans. He fired from three different machine gun positions, threw hand grenades, commanded bazooka teams and moved from foxhole to foxhole, coordinating action. The actions of him and his men eventually knocked out four German tanks, killed 275 German soldiers and stopped the Nazis dead in their tracks. It was hailed by historians as a key battle of the Normandy invasion. On a recent day alongside the river in the now green and peaceful countryside, after years of research and lobbying at the Pentagon and in Congress, Owens was recognized for his valor in a ceremony during which his honors were upgraded to Distinguished Service Cross, the second most important medal the Army can bestow. Chris Donahue, the commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa, told Fox News Owens' actions were "incredibly important. What Owens did is the exact model that all of us try to live up to." Owens died at the age of 54 in 1967. His youngest daughter, British-raised Susan Marrow, said, "I don't have words to describe how full my heart is and how much it means to me." His great-grandson, Harris Morales, was also proud to be there, saying, "without a doubt," Owens was a brave guy. As for the new recognition of Owens, he added, "It means everything, and I still don't believe it. It's still not real for me yet." This comes at a time the world remains in turmoil from Ukraine to the Mideast and beyond. While 81 years seems like a long time ago, the heroism and inventiveness displayed by Owens then is still seen as relevant today. "It is important," Morales said. "I don't think 81 years or any time is too long." Speaking from a military standpoint, Gen. Donahue noted, "We're in the middle of a transformation, and we're going to continue to do that so we live up to what they have done." As for lessons learned then, Owens' daughter had a simple answer, saying, "Do unto others as you would have them do onto you." Sometimes, as in the case of Staff Sgt. William Owens, the dangerous behavior of "others" means acting with the greatest and sometimes brutal gallantry.
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Today in History: June 14, German troops occupy Paris
Advertisement In 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the design of the first 'stars and stripes' American flag. In 1846, a group of US settlers in Sonoma proclaimed the breakaway state of the California Republic, declaring independence from Mexico. In 1919, British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown embarked on the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1940, German troops entered Paris during World War II; the same day, the Nazis transported their first prisoners to the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland. In 1943, the US Supreme Court, in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, ruled 6-3 that public school students could not be forced to salute the flag of the United States or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Advertisement In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill adding the phrase 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency ordered a ban on domestic use of the pesticide DDT, to take effect at year's end. In 1982, Argentine forces surrendered to British troops on the disputed Falkland Islands. In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced his nomination of Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg to serve on the US Supreme Court. In 2005, Michelle Wie, 15, became the first female player to qualify for an adult male US Golf Association championship, tying for first place in a 36-hole US Amateur Public Links sectional qualifying tournament. In 2017, fire ripped through the 24-story Grenfell Tower residential building in West London, killing 72 people. In 2018, a Justice Department watchdog report on the FBI's handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe criticized the FBI and its former director, James Comey, but did not find evidence that political bias tainted the investigation.
