Great Hearts Anthem Students Honor WWII Veterans 

For years, Great Hearts Anthem students have been writing letters to our troops through the Youth for Troops Organization Anthem. Recently, that long-standing relationship led to an unforgettable experience that connected young scholars with the heroes who shaped history.

Doug Pillsbury, the assistant headmaster at Anthem Prep, said Youth for Troops was contacted by the Gary Sinise Foundation, telling them they were looking for a school that has patriotic kids. They immediately nominated Anthem Prep for the opportunity to send students to the World War II Museum in New Orleans with veterans.

What followed was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for twenty students to spend time with 20 World War II veterans. The trip began with a hosted dinner where the students first met with the veterans they would be paired with before taking off on a private flight to New Orleans, Louisiana. Many took the opportunity during the flight to hear stories from the veterans who were eager to share them. At the museum, the students continued hearing their stories firsthand while walking through the exhibits.

“I absolutely loved it,” said senior Grace Williams. “It was by far one of the most incredible things that I’ve ever gotten to do.” She was paired with Eugene Hester, a storekeeper on the USS South Dakota. “One of the most decorated battleships of the whole war. He was at all of them from Midway all the way up to Japan surrendering.”

Senior Luke Serdar recalled, “My veteran, his name was Arthur Wayne Jordan, and he served in the Navy from 1941 to 1946,” shared Serdar. “We walked into this large room that had a lot of the transport carriers that the troops would go on when they were being deployed onto these islands and he was talking all about the different types of armaments that these transports had. It was such a special moment for him in the museum to be able to see all the equipment that he had been using 80 years ago. He felt incredibly honored to have the opportunity to finally visit the museum. He was very happy to share his experiences and I’m very grateful for the fact that he was able to be so open with me about a lot of it. He just feels incredibly honored for something that he did so long ago.”

“My veteran, he was in the Royal Air Force as a rear gunner. His name is Ron Holdsworth,” shared senior Brighton Pillsbury. “He Grew up in Yorkshire, England, and he was in the Royal Air Force. He was a rear gunner. He sat in the back of the plane and would shoot down the enemy. He told me a story one Christmas Eve. His plane was shot at and there was a huge hole in the side of the plane and the oxygen tank exploded. So, they were able to successfully complete the mission and make an emergency landing. And he showed me a picture of his crew in front of the plane with the huge hole. And it’s just crazy to see that and think about that. And he did 32 missions, 26 over France and six over Germany.”

This museum trip became a defining moment of perspective and patriotism for the students. “It really changed my perspective as an American,” shared Isabel Palatini, a senior who was impacted by a speech from a veteran that fought in Afghanistan. “He said, ‘We now pass the torch to your generation. What are you going to do now with the opportunities that these veterans have fought for you to have?’ And personally, that resonates a lot with me because I want to be a doctor, I want to be a neurologist. And I know that I probably wouldn’t have such an easy process and such an opportunity if it weren’t for these men that I was able to see in the flesh, which is just such a blessing. So, I’ve never felt more patriotic and ready to defend what’s right and defend this country.”

This marked the second-to-last trip of its kind, as the number of surviving World War II Veterans continues to dwindle with the passing of the Greatest Generation. This trip was informative and educational, but for the students who participated, it was a life-altering experience that they will never forget. We join Great Hearts Anthem community in extending our deepest gratitude to the World War II Veterans and all who have served our country.

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