for the Veterans – Military Appreciation Month
This is a contribution from my brother for the veterans! There is a lesson here that the students of Little Rock High School will never forget. I would presume also that most students would never have given this a thought……
In September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a History teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks in her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.
‘Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?’
She replied, ‘You can’t have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.’
They thought, ‘Well, maybe it’s our grades.’ ‘No,’ she said.
‘Maybe it’s our behavior.’ She told them, ‘No, it’s not even your behavior.’
And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom. Kids called their parents to tell them what was happening and by early afternoon television news crews had started gathering at the school to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.
The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the desk-less classroom. Martha Cothren said, ‘Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he or she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.’
At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniform, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began
placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.
Martha said, ‘You didn’t earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. They went halfway around the world, giving up their education and interrupting their careers and families so you could have the freedom you have. Now, it’s up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don’t ever forget it.’
By the way, this is a true story. And this teacher was awarded the Veterans of Foreign Wars Teacher of the Year for the State of Arkansas in 2006. She is the daughter of a WWII POW.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Verdun Affleck – Timaru, NZ; RNZ Army # 8383, WWII, 20th NZ Btn., driver
Tommy Haynes – Abanda, AL; US Navy, WWII, Sea Bees
Joseph Hillman Jr. – Rock Run, GA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Korea & Vietnam, Engineers (Ret. 30 Years)
Ralph Iossa – Madison, NJ; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, Sgt., 11th Airborne Division
Adolph Kiefer – Chicago, IL; US Navy, WWII, [Olympian swimmer]
Ralph Pierman – Shawnee, OK; US Navy, WWII, Carpenter 1st Mate, LST-471, 3 Bronze Stars
Wilburn Ross – Whitley City, KY; US Army, WWII, ETO, MSgt. (Ret.), Purple Heart, Medal of Honor
Kenji Tashiro – CA; US Army, WWII, ETO, MSgt., 442 RCT / Korea & Vietnam
Leo Thorsness – Walnut Grove, MN; US Air Force, Vietnam, POW, Medal of Honor
Julius Younger – NYC, NY; US Army, WWII, Manhattan Project
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Posted on May 18, 2017, in Current News, Home Front and tagged Current News, History, Korean War, Military, Military History, Teaching, Tributes, veterans, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 140 Comments.
Reblogged this on Home of the free and commented:
Wer verstehen will, wie Amerikas Verständnis für die Veteranen aussieht, dem lege ich diesen Text ans Herz.
Manchmal sollten wir allesamt innehalten um uns bei jenen Menschen zu bedanken, die ihr Leben für uns alle riskierten!
Es ist eine kleine Geste, die in sich ein unglaublich tiefes Herz birgt.
Danke all den Veteranen! Danke all jenen, die für unsere Freiheit ihr eigenes Leben riskierten!
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Ich danke Ihnen sehr für Ihren Kommentar und helfe, diese Gefühle mit Ihren Lesern zu teilen. Das Militär verdient unseren Respekt !!
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Wow. This is a really great story. Thank you for posting it.
A lot of people don’t see how much work and life good chances costs.
So we have to thank all veterans for our freedom today! They risked there lifes for all of us!
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Thank you for feeling that way. It is so true, yet so many fail to see it.
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My boyfriend worked years ago in the austrian Special-Forces Jako. He told me so much about this time. When i read this post, i got tears in my eyes. Like other readers say, this was a great lession schoolkids never forget.
All I do, my blog, my work and my donations I´m giving is a hommage to all soldiers now and in the past. Our generation in Austria (Europe) never learned this feeling.
Last year, i visited Butte (Montana) in my vacation – and i understood!
GP Cox – i love your blog. You write great and all I can say to your work:
Thank you! Because you help understanding!
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You give me far too much credit, but thank you very much!!
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Wow, that teacher should earn even more commendations than that. What a wonderful homage to our military. That story had me tearing up. Thanks for sharing it.
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My pleasure, I hope it showed my respect for them.
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It sure did. You do your Dad proud!
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Now – THAT makes me feel great!!
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Truly, how could he not be proud? You celebrate veterans, and more specifically, you honor him. What more could a father ask? All I know is that I respect that devotion. It is a rare and wonderful thing.
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Thank you very much. Smitty was a member of the Greatest Generation, but also one-of-a-kind – and a great one at that!!
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Very inspiring.
There are quite a few people who need reminding of our freedoms that were hard fought for and need treasuring.
I like teachers who think out of the box and create unique days.
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Thank you for taking the time to come by, Charlotte. You have a busy schedule and a wonderful career. Let’s hope we always have these freedoms to enjoy!
The unique teachers do make a lasting impression, don’t they?!!
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High-impact visual for heartfelt lesson! 🙂 💜 Jackie@KWH
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Now you know why I reblogged it. Impressive, eh?!!
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Very impressive, so I’ve shared it on my blog’s fb page too… It’s not knitting, but it’s a lesson we all need to take to heart ❤ Hope you're enjoying your Memorial Day long-weekend! 🙋💌🇨🇦❣🇺🇸🎉😎 🙂 💜 Jackie@KWH
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I thank you very much for sharing the post. Some people need a little nudge to remember.
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I love that story. It is a great way to teach children about everything that the veterans have done for us!
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Thank you for feeling that way!
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Incoming!! Haha!!
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Yes, I love that one too!!
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That is a great story! I can’t think of a better way to teach that lesson!
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Wasn’t it great?!! These students sure won’t forget this lesson!!
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OUTSTANDING!
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Nothing like making a lasting impression, eh?!!
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