An important goal of teaching is to create learning opportunities for students. Honor Flight Chicago’s Operation Education web page provides a pathway to help. This informative web page houses a collection of interviews from veterans of WWII, Korea, and the Vietnam War era. It is from this web page that social studies teachers at Rotolo Middle School in Batavia created an opportunity for students to form a personal connection to those who served our country during the Vietnam War. At the heart of this learning opportunity is a focus on human interaction.

Following the Illinois Learning Standards the unit adheres to an inquiry model where students ask and seek to answer genuine questions that students care about. This inquiry began when students at Rotolo Middle School walked into the classroom to find a table filled with business-card-sized photographs of seventeen different veterans, with their names, and a link to their video interview, and their biography. All of the people on the cards served during the Vietnam War era. (Copies of these cards are available at these links for teachers to download and print.)  To begin with the end in mind, students learned that they would be writing a letter to their veteran at the end of the unit. After students each selected a veteran and settled down, they started connecting to their veterans by watching the video of the veteran they chose. Students  heard a variety of stories including nurses describing uniforms so starched they stood by themselves and corpsmen wondering if the soldier they patched up survived. Throughout the activity students wrote questions that would help connect them to their veteran and focus their inquiry.

Along with questions an inquiry requires the careful selection of sources and tasks that lead to deeper learning. In addition to considering sources about how the war was fought and sources about the tough political issues such as: the Tonkin Gulf, the Chicago Democratic Convention, and the Pentagon Papers, sources also included an artifact trunk from The First Division Museum at Cantigny. Students were able to try on parts of a combat uniform, boots, and various head gear including a helmet. They also examined examples of a soldier’s daily rations including food, chewing gum, and toilet paper. Sarah A. wrote about this task in her letter to Kay A. “Feeling and touching the clothing made everything come alive before my eyes, I felt as though I was there with you guys. It was crazy.”

Questions and human connections combined when veterans visited the classroom thanks to the coordinating efforts of Honor Flight Chicago volunteer Nancy Staiger. In a normal year veterans would come to the school, but for the last two years veterans attended the class through Google Meet (similar to ZOOM).   Both students and veterans LOVED the invaluable experience.  Students had a chance to ask and have their questions answered. Colin K. showed a connection that he drew from the Cantigny trunk to the veteran visit when he wrote to Robert G, “We also saw some of the C rations which they described as tasting good, but when we talked to the veterans including your friend Terry, they all agreed that the C rations tasted terrible.” This was just one detail among many that veterans clarified for students about Vietnam.  

At the end of the unit of study, students wrote to their veteran recalling what they learned, and thanked them for their sacrifices and sharing their story. The letters demonstrated the importance of personal connection. Some students used humor like Connar T. who wrote to Rick C., “One article talked about how you grew up playing baseball and I have to say, I share the same love for the sport, however, I have one issue and that’s that you’re a Sox fan. Your great service and bravery cancel out the fact that you’re a Sox fan though.” Another student, Elijah P. wrote to Eddie K, “I actually just finished watching your Honor Flight Chicago video. And it’s funny, because I found that you and I share a lot of similarities.”  Then there is Gisella Z. who was inspired by Bob M. who was a corpsman and she wrote, “I enjoy helping others, like you and I hope to be in the medical field when I’m older.” Dyana G. also plans to work in the medical field and was also inspired by Bob M. Here are some of her words to him: ”I’m not one of those students who’s obsessed with history and learning about previous wars, but hearing about your experience in the Vietnam War and getting to write you a letter has made me interested in learning more about it.” 

Using the resources from the Honor Flight Chicago Operation Education webpage helped the social studies teachers at Rotolo Middle School create a lesson plan centered around human interaction. As demonstrated by the comments students wrote in their letters to the veterans, they made many connections to the veterans, to their own lives, and to the history of the war in Vietnam. Above all, it was a learning experience filled with human interaction.

“Thanks to my teacher and stories from my grandpa, I’m learning about the tough and long war you helped in which makes me proud and encourages me to live each day to the fullest because you couldn’t while at war.”   Reece R.

“When the veterans came to my school it was shocking to learn the actual effects of war. It is hard to truly understand how traumatic it is but hearing the stories really brought it to life.” Emma A.

“I am honored to be a part of Honor Flight Chicago and help recognize veterans and honor the actions you took to protect our country and me.”  Louis R.

“Veterans like yourself inspire me to work harder on everything I do every day”  Evan C.

“It was great to hear the experiences you had in the Navy and your training that helped shape your career as a nurse. I can’t imagine how many people you have helped. What a huge heart you must have.” Megan S.

“My grandfather was a Vietnam veteran as well but he doesn’t speak of his time in the military. From the stories you told, I realize that being a soldier was very hard, and it’s a great honor and you deserve a lot of respect.”   Natalie W.

“I know your part in the Vietnam War was to help wounded soldiers. I know you weren’t stationed at the same place as my grampa. Even though it wasn’t you who worked on my grampa, you made sure other soldiers could go home to their families.” Claire B.

“We recently had veterans join a zoom to talk to us about their experiences. The panel was an eye opener. Veterans go through so much and to see all of you smiling inspires me very much. In the panel you mentioned having a positive mindset is the key to having a happy life and that has stuck with me.” Brianna S.

“My textbook gave me information about the Vietnam war but hearing your experiences truly brought it all into perspective.”

“I am so moved by your video. As a woman, I agree that sometimes I feel like I get treated differently. You showed me that it is important to work harder to get to where you want and show them that you can do just as much, or even more than men.” Claire F.

“ I had the opportunity to hear the stories of you and other veterans of the Vietnam war. I admire your bravery, and am forever grateful for your efforts. I am glad I’ve been given the opportunity to write to someone brave enough to fight for our country, and to thank you for your service. Welcome Home!” Brenna V.

“ I like how you recommend that if school isn’t necessarily my thing than I should join the military. I think it is inspiring that serving our country is an option for me just like you chose the military.” … “Because of your interview, I now see you as a sort of role model, choosing to take a different approach to life than most.” Josh K. and Chase P.

“We had veterans come in and talk to our class. One question that was asked was , did you agree with the US involvement in the war. There were many different answers but they all said they served to protect our country and I am forever grateful for that.”  Mary F

“I learned about you and what you had to face in the Vietnam war, and I was in tears. The story about your friend John and how he was shot in front of your eyes was devastating.  When you said in your interview how you cried during Honor Flight Chicago when you saw the names of all the 58,000 of your comrades…. How you got to touch John’s name and it reminded you of John’s face and all of your memories was so touching. I learned about many terrible experiences during the war and many things you witnessed. But most importantly, I learned what is was like for many veterans coming home to America. I am sorry for that terrible welcome home , but I personally would like to say thank you for your service and welcome home.”  Gaby M.

“Honor Flight Chicago seems like an amazing place for veterans. You get to talk and share stories with other veterans and take a trip to Washington DC together. But you also get to talk to us kids and teach us about how treacherous war was. I know it’s hard to talk about that stuff and I thank you for talking about it to us.  I am very grateful that Honor Flight Chicago is giving me the opportunity to communicate with you. You’ve set a great example for my generation.”  Jack K.

“I think Honor Flight Chicago is a really great program because it gives students great chances to learn history from people who lived it.”  AJ

“I’m not one of those students who’s obsessed with history but hearing about your experiences in the Vietnam War and getting to write you this letter has made me interested in learning more about it.” Dyana G.

“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I was unable to see my friends and family and that was hard for me. So I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to leave your wife, family and friends and go across the globe to serve in a war.”  Sarah B

“One article talked about how you grew up playing baseball and I have to say I share the same love for the sport, however I have one issue and that’s that you’re a Sox fan.  Your great service and bravery cancel out the fact that you’re a Sox fan though.”  Connar T.

“One thing I find pretty cool about Honor Flight Chicago is that all of these things in our communities are changing but this amazing program finds so many ways to honor so many veterans.”  Emma L.

“You really had some powerful words in your video. You said that you should never hesitate to tell people how you feel. My favorite was if you feel like telling your mom and dad that you love them, then do it. You never know what could happen the next day.”  JJ S.

“I got to watch your video before we started to learn about the Vietnam war and all through out  us learning about the war I was thinking about you.”   Emma S.

“It made my heart drop when you said you thought you weren’t going to make it home. It made me realize how strong people are to join the army.”  Mia R

“What you went through in Vietnam was almost indescribable, but I am really glad that you made it out to share your story. I really learned a lot of things from you.”  Jonah R.

“I thought it was inspirational that you didn’t do so well in school but didn’t give up and went on to serve and help with the evacuation of Saigon.” Micah W

“You were asked in your Honor Flight Chicago video what you would tell your 17 year old self. You said that you need to listen in order to learn, have humility, know when to be quiet, don’t be in a hurry, there are always options in life and you can change things. I think this is very good advice…and some things I need to work on.”  Austin H.

“The Vietnam Memorial is something I wish I could visit…but I feel like writing this letter and watching your video and reading about the war is also a memorial.”  Aiden S.

“I just finished watching your Honor Flight Chicago video. And it’s funny because I found that you and I share a lot of similarities. Like how you never really knew your true father. My father went to jail and I never saw him again. And also like you, I had a rough time with my stepdad.”  Elijah P.

“I think it is awesome that you didn’t let the guys annoying you and trying to hold you back from doing your best because you are a woman. I think it is a great way to get better and even though I am a guy, I can still use that to help me keep moving forward.” Reno V.

“Thank you so much for your service and for inspiring young females like me to reach whatever goals we have in life, regardless of what others have to say about it. I also thought your positivity towards the boys in your granddaughters dance class is a mindset that everyone should have. You are right about how boys and girls can break gender roles!”  Ella S.

“We have been learning about the Vietnam War for the past few weeks in school. Normally I would find this boring and useless but this time is different. It was very interesting hearing your story while watching your interview with Honor Flight Chicago. And it was fun to get to talk to you during the meet. Your story is inspiring.”  Aiden H

“The stories heard really inspired me, for me they meant you should never give up even when you are at the worst point of your life, because things are worth it. James never gave up, he kept on going. I’m so sorry for your loss and thank you for allowing me to write this to you.” Sarah K.     (Written to the family of James Zwit who passed a few months after he recorded his interview with Honor Flight Chicago)