THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996 TAG: 9605300355
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 141 lines
They had read about the major battles and big-name generals of World War II in their high school history books. But the 17 students in Susan Igareda's advanced U.S. history class wanted to know what the war was really like.
So the Booker T. Washington High 10th-graders went straight to the source: 17 local veterans who never made it into history books. Until now.
``We talked a lot about how we appreciated what they did for us by going to war,'' said class member David Miller. ``We wanted to do an oral history so they'd be remembered. A lot of these guys are older, and once they die, it's gone.''
On Wednesday, the students presented the veterans, all of them old enough to be the teenagers' grandfathers, with a book they created called ``Reflections on World War II: An Oral History.''
Preserved in the softbound volume is a collection of war-time memories compelling and mundane.
The vignettes include dangerous moments - ducking sniper fire, surviving a Japanese POW camp, enduring attacks on their ships - and good times - forging lifelong friendships and enjoying off-beat humor.
The veterans, all career military men, were interviewed by phone and met the teens for the first time Wednesday.
At a brief ceremony in the school's library, the students and the veterans discussed how the project bridged a gap between generations. During a week of Memorial Day remembrances, the event moved the men.
``It makes water come to my eyes,'' said retired Navy Master Chief Mark A. Dugo of Virginia Beach, who served in the Pacific theater. ``It seems after all these years we finally get recognized. All we got before was a signed letter from the president and a `Ruptured Duck' '' - an honorable discharge emblem awarded World War II vets.
``We all came in just a few years older than you are now to answer the call of our country, and as time goes on, less and less is thought about it,'' said retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. John Rausch of Norfolk, who served on a destroyer in the Pacific during the war.
``This is a wonderful thing,'' he said.
Students called the men unsung heroes, the ``everyday people'' who helped save democracy for them.
Class member Tiffany Cherry read a poem she wrote for the occasion: ``Fighting by air, by land and by sea, The men of World War II fought for you and for me . . . I do understand that reading doesn't compare, to actually being there, Tattered and torn, hurt and spent, But I do understand that these men were God sent.''
Student Melanie Rowson said the project was important because it preserves the stories of individuals who lived the war.
``We wanted to learn about things on a personal level - things the history books can't tell you,'' Rowson said. ``There's really no other way to learn these types of things.''
Rowson interviewed Henry ``Hank'' Williams, of Norfolk, who served in a construction battalion in the South Pacific during the war. In the book, Williams said escaping sniper fire was his most dangerous encounter of the war. He was on a beach in the Philippines clearing trees for a base camp when the shooting started.
``He was shooting at us from the trees so we could not see him,'' Williams told Rowson. ``I was driving a bulldozer used to clear trees while shooting at the sniper. A man was behind me on the bulldozer - he was shooting also. The sniper at any time could have shot us because we were in clear view.''
Williams also told a funny story about the time he and some buddies stripped to their underwear to go swimming. ``When we came back, the tide had taken our clothes and we had to walk five miles to get back to the base,'' he said.
Sitting at a table Wednesday, eating a pastry with Rowson, Williams, 71, said: ``I just didn't think the young people would take the time to think about us old fellas.''
Igareda, the teacher, said students in the advanced-placement history class can earn college credit from the course. She also said the oral history project was her students' idea, which they worked on in their spare time, and that a copy of the book will be sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
``I'm really proud of my students, who showed maturity and wisdom beyond their years to see the importance of saving this history,'' Igareda said. ``These gentlemen's experience in the war was just as important as all the treaties and papers that were signed.'' MEMO: VETERANS' MEMORIES
Here are a few samples of the dangerous incidents, friendships and
humor included in the book ``Reflections on World War II: An Oral
History.''
Dangerous Incidents
``While in the Bataan Death March, I saw many of my fellow soldiers
die. We often went days without food, water or rest. We resembled
skeletons. Many of the P.O.W.s who were weak were shot instantly; no one
was allowed to help the weaker men go on.''
- Edward Lewis Hill, retired Army, interviewed by Katrina Scott.
Stories of friendship
``I met quite a fellow on the island of Guam. His name was Joe.
Before Joe left the island to return home, he got a coconut from a tree
and drew a scene (mural) on the coconut and I still have it today.''
- Mark Dugo, retired Navy, interviewed by Octavia Ruffin
Humorous incidents
``Well, my most humorous incident would be when I tried to throw a
can of white paint overboard. I didn't know the wind was blowing. The
wind picked up and the white paint blew on the side of the ship! Yeah .
. . that was pretty funny.''
- Tony Scarengella, retired Navy, interviewed by Kim Ambrose
We were in the South Pacific and our lieutenant told us to dye our
white hats blue so that the Japs couldn't see or spot us. Well, this one
guy named Earl Brown dyed all his white hats blue, so when it was time
to go ashore he couldn't because he had no white hats. Now every time we
meet Earl Brown, we call him `blue hat Brown.' ''
- John Rausch, retired Navy, interviewed by Nakkia Grimes
TALES FROM WW II:
DANGER:
Several German planes attacked the Plunkett; three of them were shot
down, but one did get through and dropped a bomb amidships. My battle
station was below decks in the gun plotting room, as the gun fire
control computer operator . . If you can imagine being inside a tin
garbage can at a time when someone hits it with a giant sledge hammer
you can imagine how that bomb sounded below decks. . . A total of 53
men were killed instantly.''
- Mike Lombardo, retired Navy, interviewed by Erica Glasper.
HUMOR:
We were in the South Pacific and our lieutenant told us to dye our
white hats blue so that the Japs couldn't see or spot us. Well, this one
guy named Earl Brown dyed all his white hats blue, so when it was time
to go ashore he couldn't because he had no white hats. Now every time we
meet Earl Brown, we call him `blue hat Brown.' ''
- John Rausch, retired Navy, interviewed by Nakkia Grimes
FRIENDSHIP
My destroyer was named Wadsworth DD-516. Every person on the ship was
my friend. There were 325 of us before, but now there are 80 of us left.
We meet every two years and greet each other by saying: `Thank you for
saving my life.' ''
- John Rausch, retired Navy, interviewed by Nakkia Grimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by JIM WALKER, The Virginian-Pilot
Anthony J. Scarangella and Kimberly Ambrose talk at a reception at
Booker T. Washington High on Wednesday. Ambrose was one of the
students who interviewed veterans to compile ``Reflections on World
War II: An Oral History.'' by CNB