Veteran's Day

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Permalink Reply by Paul on November 4, 2009 at 12:35pm

Here is a story passed on to me today, Be sure to follow the link at end for the stories origin.

A lesson that should be taught in all schools . . And colleges

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school 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 out of her classroom.

When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.

'Ms. Cothren, where're 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.

By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms.Cothren's classroom 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 deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/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 uniforms, 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. 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.

Please consider passing this along so others won't forget that the freedoms we have in this great country were earned by U. S. Veterans.


http://www.snopes.com/glurge/nodesks.asp

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Permalink Reply by Paul on November 8, 2009 at 6:19pm

Price of Freedom Photo From NKO Site.

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Permalink Reply by Mark on November 11, 2009 at 10:01pm

My father is a veteran of World War Two. Because he wanted to help protect his country he joined the Marines at the age of just seventeen by lying about his age. My Grandfather wouldn't give him five dollars bus fare to get to Jacksonville so he had to go to friends of the family for the money. When he graduated from his boot camp, he had no family or friends to celebrate his achievements. He became a staff sergeant and served two terms spending his war years fighting in the Pacific. He has scars on his arms from bomb fragments but never got a purple heart because he felt like it wasn't a serious enough wound. He tells great stories of bar fights and eventful leaves but stays mum about the war and the consequences that go with putting your life on the line to protect the rest of us. My father is eighty four years old, is a veteran of World War Two and has always been my hero.

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Permalink Reply by NavyDads Admin (Paul) on November 11, 2009 at 10:23pm

bravo Mark....and please pass along my thanks to your dad! As I grow older and more appreciative of what our veterans have done, I am more and more hunbled by the stories I hear of those heros. My late father was much the same...he had great stories about things he did during the war....ending up behind the lines while trying to appropriate material from a winery or making a complete fool of himself trying to speak French (which he couldn't....) to a farmer trying to get some fresh eggs.....ends up the farmers spoke with a perfect Brooklyn accent and understood every word in English...but had great fun seeing the GI's act goofy and cluck like chickens. But he never really talked about "the war....". I understand that now....for many years I didn't.

Thank You Veterans! We, as Americans, owe you a great debt for the things you did without question or regard for your own welfare. Thank you all!!

Mark said:

My father is a veteran of World War Two. Because he wanted to help protect his country he joined the Marines at the age of just seventeen by lying about his age. My Grandfather wouldn't give him five dollars bus fare to get to Jacksonville so he had to go to friends of the family for the money. When he graduated from his boot camp, he had no family or friends to celebrate his achievements. He became a staff sergeant and served two terms spending his war years fighting in the Pacific. He has scars on his arms from bomb fragments but never got a purple heart because he felt like it wasn't a serious enough wound. He tells great stories of bar fights and eventful leaves but stays mum about the war and the consequences that go with putting your life on the line to protect the rest of us. My father is eighty four years old, is a veteran of World War Two and has always been my hero.

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Permalink Reply by George Lauff on November 12, 2009 at 3:26am

I have always celebrated this day in wonder and awe,My Father is a WWII Navy Vet as well as 4 uncles who served
during that war, I have a cousin who did 30 as a marine and I myself did my share in the 70's. All of these men and women who do their part to keep us free are amazing,to say the least,we all leave the comfort of our families and do a job that some seem to think is not important!(imagine that)anyway I am proud to have served and I pray that we all support and honer those who have done their share.
Oh one more thing,my son graduates on 13 november from great lakes-oo-ya- another has stepped up to the plate for us- God Bless our Country and Never give up the Ship

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Permalink Reply by Mark on November 12, 2009 at 8:39pm

Good luck, George- to you and your son! All the best and please pass along our gratitude to your son for his service.
Mark

George Lauff said:

I have always celebrated this day in wonder and awe,My Father is a WWII Navy Vet as well as 4 uncles who served
during that war, I have a cousin who did 30 as a marine and I myself did my share in the 70's. All of these men and women who do their part to keep us free are amazing,to say the least,we all leave the comfort of our families and do a job that some seem to think is not important!(imagine that)anyway I am proud to have served and I pray that we all support and honer those who have done their share.
Oh one more thing,my son graduates on 13 november from great lakes-oo-ya- another has stepped up to the plate for us- God Bless our Country and Never give up the Ship

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