I recently uncovered my very first blog, written during my second year teaching 6th grade at Lineville Intermediate School. Today is Veterans Day and I'm appreciative of my fellow teachers and School PR pros who are taking time to share the importance of honoring those to served. I'm copying a post I wrote to my 6th grade Social Studies class back in 2009 as we just finished learning about World War II. My Grandpa Butch Fehrmann (circled in green above) was a gunner's mate in the Navy. My other Grandpa, Robert Nicol, also served in the Pacific Theater in the 3rd Marine Division. Both are gone now. Still I take great pride in their service, and my Grandpa's Butch's sailor hat, shown in the photos above and below, is one of my most valued possessions.
May 29, 2009
Sixth graders,
I’m taking a break from our Civil Rights unit to share an interesting discovery my mom helped me make this weekend. It’s a longer post than normal, but I hope you find it’s worth the time you spend to read it.
Memorial Day commemorates, or remembers, United States men and women who died while in military service. As I mentioned in class, both my Grandpas served in World War II. Both survived to return home and start families, or I wouldn’t be here typing this blog. Even though neither Grandpa died in combat, I always think of them this time of year around Memorial Day.
A few weeks ago, I asked my mom about her dad, my Grandpa Butch, and his military records. I had never heard stories about his military service, other than a black-and-white photo with him on some sort of boat with a monkey on his shoulder. She gave the records to me Sunday, but they didn’t have much detail. In fact they were pretty difficult to make any sense out of at all: a lot of abbreviations and shorthand that probably made sense in some military filing system, but it was like reading another language to me.
Enter the Internet! My next step wouldn’t have even been possible even as recently as when I was in college (Google didn’t even exist until 1998, around the time you were born). Deciphering some of the Navy abbreviations for the ships was the most time-consuming step. I always pictured my Grandpa Butch on the deck of a huge aircraft carrier or a battleship. Not surprisingly, I was wrong.
Even though we talk about the big events and the large battles of wars in our class, I enjoy learning about soldiers serving honorably in small groups. Maybe success in war is determined more by each man and woman doing his or her job as part of a larger unit, division or even army, not necessarily just by heroes like Alvin York or Eddie Rickenbacker. My Grandpa’s story is about a boat called a Landing Craft Tank (LCT) staffed by only 13 men (and a monkey). I learned today that he served in the Philippines, and was stationed at nearby Okinawa when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan to end the war in the Pacific.
When I saw his name remembered by one of his shipmates in an article on the internet, it was an intensely proud feeling. The article doesn’t say much more than my grandpa was reliable, valued member of the crew, and that he was missed by his friends when his service time was up and he went back home to start his family in Wisconsin. To read those kind words written about a simple sailor by someone who served along with him in World War II made this an incredible day for me. My Grandpa Butch died in 1977 when I was two years old, but his memory lives on.
If you’d like to read the whole story of LCT 1066, you can visit the website by clicking on the name of the ship. Look for details and vocabulary words from our World War II unit. My Grandpa’s full name was Leroy Clarence Fehrmann, but his nickname was Butch. He’s highlighted above in green; a pretty good looking sailor if I do say so myself!
Sixth graders,
I’m taking a break from our Civil Rights unit to share an interesting discovery my mom helped me make this weekend. It’s a longer post than normal, but I hope you find it’s worth the time you spend to read it.
Memorial Day commemorates, or remembers, United States men and women who died while in military service. As I mentioned in class, both my Grandpas served in World War II. Both survived to return home and start families, or I wouldn’t be here typing this blog. Even though neither Grandpa died in combat, I always think of them this time of year around Memorial Day.
A few weeks ago, I asked my mom about her dad, my Grandpa Butch, and his military records. I had never heard stories about his military service, other than a black-and-white photo with him on some sort of boat with a monkey on his shoulder. She gave the records to me Sunday, but they didn’t have much detail. In fact they were pretty difficult to make any sense out of at all: a lot of abbreviations and shorthand that probably made sense in some military filing system, but it was like reading another language to me.
Enter the Internet! My next step wouldn’t have even been possible even as recently as when I was in college (Google didn’t even exist until 1998, around the time you were born). Deciphering some of the Navy abbreviations for the ships was the most time-consuming step. I always pictured my Grandpa Butch on the deck of a huge aircraft carrier or a battleship. Not surprisingly, I was wrong.
Even though we talk about the big events and the large battles of wars in our class, I enjoy learning about soldiers serving honorably in small groups. Maybe success in war is determined more by each man and woman doing his or her job as part of a larger unit, division or even army, not necessarily just by heroes like Alvin York or Eddie Rickenbacker. My Grandpa’s story is about a boat called a Landing Craft Tank (LCT) staffed by only 13 men (and a monkey). I learned today that he served in the Philippines, and was stationed at nearby Okinawa when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan to end the war in the Pacific.
When I saw his name remembered by one of his shipmates in an article on the internet, it was an intensely proud feeling. The article doesn’t say much more than my grandpa was reliable, valued member of the crew, and that he was missed by his friends when his service time was up and he went back home to start his family in Wisconsin. To read those kind words written about a simple sailor by someone who served along with him in World War II made this an incredible day for me. My Grandpa Butch died in 1977 when I was two years old, but his memory lives on.
If you’d like to read the whole story of LCT 1066, you can visit the website by clicking on the name of the ship. Look for details and vocabulary words from our World War II unit. My Grandpa’s full name was Leroy Clarence Fehrmann, but his nickname was Butch. He’s highlighted above in green; a pretty good looking sailor if I do say so myself!