Bringing to life the memories of war

Danette Goulet

World War II veterans brought the realities of war home to seventh- and

eighth-grade students at Corona del Mar High on Tuesday.

It was the 58th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and the five

veterans from the Orange County Freedom Committee remember it as clearly

as if it were yesterday.

“It was the salvation of the free world we were fighting for,” said Gene

Robens, a colonel in the U.S. Army who served on Gen. Dwight D.

Eisenhower’s staff in England. He carried top-secret clearance and was

involved in planning the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

The five told their stories to students in an effort to help them better

understand history and appreciate their freedom.

“I didn’t realize it was that bad,” 13-year-old Brian Dunn said

afterward. “I learned a lot.”

Dunn is one of many middle school students who sat transfixed as the five

men brought a history lesson to life.

Each speaker on the panel experienced a different area of combat, but all

experienced the atrocities of war.

Alvin Anderson was a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot who flew missions over

Europe during the D-Day invasion. Jack Hammett was a hospital corpsman in

the U.S. Navy from 1937 to 1959 and is a Pearl Harbor survivor.

David Lester served with the U.S. Army Combat Engineers and is a survivor

of the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Purple

Heart for wounds he received in action. Robert Phillips served in the

U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division as a paratrooper. He dropped into

Normandy on D-Day and after three days of combat, was captured by

Germans. He remained a prisoner of war until Germany surrendered in 1945.

“I thought it was amazing what they did,” said 13-year-old Ashley Watts.

“I saw “Saving Private Ryan.” It was graphic, and they said it was like

that.”

For other students, it was one of their first lessons on the war -- or at

least the first to which they paid attention.

“I didn’t really understand a lot of what they were talking about,” said

13-year-old Bree Condon. “I don’t know what D-Day was, but it’s good to

learn about it.”

Today, a group of those students will learn a heightened respect for

veterans as they visit the Veterans Administration Hospital in Long

Beach.

Those students are bringing gifts to patients and plan to perform a

20-skit variety show for them.