Moraine students get taste of military
PROSPECT — Moraine Elementary School students got a taste of military life on Thursday through listening to tales of veterans' service, touring military vehicles and getting a look at what soldiers have to wear and eat overseas.
It's part of an annual program that honors veterans while also being an informative, hands-on experience for students.
In one classroom, Lou Bauldoff, a Korean War veteran who served in the Army, and Gene Wise, a Vietnam Era veteran who served in the U.S. Coast Guard, fielded questions from students about their military experience.
A group of fifth graders were particularly inquisitive, asking the veterans questions for more than an hour.
“How many badges do you have?” one girl asked.
“Do you have any friends?” asked another.
“Have you ever saved anyone?” a boy asked.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the school, wide-eyed third graders made their way to the school parking lot to look at some military vehicles from the 475th Quartermaster Army Reserve. The students got to go inside a 5-ton cargo truck, a kitchen vehicle and a Humvee.
Braiden Reich and Dylan Zyschlag, both 8, were among hundreds of students that explored inside each vehicle. They gazed at the complex control panel up front, even touching the radio controls, pretending to communicate with soldiers. Both students said they had never seen military vehicles up close.
Master Sgt. Paul Freidhof of the 475th Quartermaster Army Reserve said students tour their vehicles a few times a year, and it's a fun, unique experience for many.
“The older kids, they understand more,” he said. “But with younger kids, they haven't formed their own opinion yet, and they're more fascinated about it.”
Also, the school Parent Teacher Association organized a luncheon for the veterans, and school music teacher Becky Sopher arranged for all the students in the school to sing patriotic songs to veterans after lunch.
“They need to understand the respect that these soldiers deserve,” said Janet Waag, PTO Treasurer, whose brother, Sgt. Carl Morgain, was killed during his military service. “We can't have the privilege we have without these soldiers.”
