COLLEGE PARK, MD – November 11, 2024 – In honor of Veterans Day, National History Day® (NHD) is proud to announce the 48 teachers selected for its newest Silent Heroes® program, Untold Stories from the Korean War, sponsored by a grant from the Veterans Legacy Program at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This fall, selected teachers have partnered with almost 600 students to research the lives of nearly 100 individuals who served in the U.S. military during the Korean War era, continued to serve their community and are currently buried or memorialized in a U.S. National or state Veterans Cemetery. This program prioritizes identifying underrepresented and untold stories.
Now until January 2025, teachers and students meet monthly with a historian Christopher Hamner, Ph.D., of George Mason University to study the Korean War and learn more about the experiences of underrepresented Veterans. Guided by eight research mentors, participants will use NHD-created materials to leverage databases such as Ancestry Classroom, Fold3 and Newspapers.com to research the lives and service of their selected Veterans. Connecting with local libraries and historical societies, teams will learn more about the communities where the Veterans and their families lived. Finally, teams will analyze Official Military Personnel Files requested from the National Personnel Records Center. After conducting their research, teams will synthesize the information to tell the story of their Veteran’s life and service with a profile published on the Veterans Legacy Memorial and NHD’s Silent Heroes website. See a sample Silent Hero profile here.
“As we pause today to honor and remember Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, I couldn’t be more proud of the teachers and students researching Veterans of the Korean War through our exciting new program funded by the Veterans Legacy Program,” said Cathy Gorn, Ph.D., Executive Director of National History Day. “Studying local history and giving a voice to untold stories, particularly those of Veterans, is some of the most impactful work students and teachers can do with National History Day.”
After the teachers and students research their chosen Veterans’ lives, military service, and contributions to their communities this fall, student-teacher teams will visit their local national cemetery in spring 2025 to honor their Veterans and read eulogies at their graves. In addition to the profiles cross-listed on the NHD Silent Heroes website and the Veterans Legacy Memorial, NHD will also select 50 profiles and add video eulogies for the Veterans. See a sample NHD-produced video eulogy here.
The 48 teachers selected for this program represent 35 states and 45 U.S. National Cemeteries. NHD celebrates the following teachers participating in this program and the Veterans they selected to research:
| State | Teacher and School | Veterans | Cemetery |
| Alabama | Ms. Melissa Motes Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies Mobile, AL | U.S. Air Force Captain Janice Feagin Britton U.S. Army Corporal Eteal Reed | Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Spanish Fort, AL |
| Arizona | Mrs. Annie Shanahan Gifted & Talented Academy at Maryvale High School Phoenix, AZ | U.S. Army Specialist Third Class Sidney Levin U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Joyce C. Hagan Williams | National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ |
| Mr. Jeron Velasco Dishchii’bikoh High School Cibecue, AZ | U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Ronnie Lupe U.S. Army Sergeant Steven Phillip Lupe, Sr. | Dove Cemetery, Whiteriver, AZ Cibecue Cemetery, Cibecue, AZ | |
| Arkansas | Mr. Brandon Bagwell Harmony Grove Middle School Benton, AR | U.S. Army Private Second Class Myrtis Lee Baker U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Leroy Mazel Smith | Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery at North Little Rock, North Little Rock, AR |
| California | Ms. Aditi Doshi Van Nuys High School Van Nuys, CA | U.S. Navy Seaman Recruit Jean Lorain Godden Lopez U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Fred Teruo Suzuki | Los Angeles National Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA |
| Connecticut | Ms. Amy Bishop Edison Middle School Meriden, CT | U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Joan Miriam March Davis U.S. Air Force Airman Second Class Lester “Leslie” Hicks | Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery, Middletown, CT |
| Delaware | Ms. Emily Green POLYTECH School District Woodside, DE | U.S. Air Force Airman Third Class Donald J. Ballard U.S. Air Force Private Velma Ascione | Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery – New Castle County, Bear, DE |
| Florida | Mr. Zachary Brinkley Wakulla High School Crawfordville, FL | U.S. Army First Lieutenant Willard Bernard Barnhart U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Thelma Virginia Poppell Edenfield | Tallahassee National Cemetery, Tallahassee, FL |
| Mrs. Melissa Machaj-Abbs Switzerland Point Middle School Jacksonville, FL | U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Willie “Coach” Dorsey U.S. Army Private Isiah Jesse “Ike” Williams III | Jacksonville National Cemetery, Jacksonville, FL | |
| Georgia | Mr. Chance Giddens Troup County High School LaGrange, GA | U.S. Army Corporal Shigeru Ito U.S. Air Force Corporal Shirley Jean Tinker Thomas | Fort Mitchell National Cemetery, Ft. Mitchell, AL |
| Hawai’i | Mrs. Amy Boehning Hawai’i Technology Academy Waipahu, HI | U.S. Army First Lieutenant Louise Toki Nagoa Aleong U.S. Navy Yeoman Third Class Abigail Theresa Durante Robello | National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, HI |
| Illinois | Mrs. Katie Hoerner Belleville East High School Belleville, IL | U.S. Army Specialist Fourth Class Reginald Sueo Arakaki U.S. Army Corporal Yasutoshi “Yasu” Takushi | Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, MO |
| Mr. Zach Schroeder Skinner North Elementary School Chicago, IL | U.S. Army Specialist Third Class Donald D. Jenkins U.S. Army Private Second Class James Major Bradey Gates, Jr. | Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, IL | |
| Indiana | Mrs. Lori Grant Feliciano Cold Spring School at Marian University Indianapolis, IN | U.S. Air Force Airman Second Class Florence Mabel Linde Dudley U.S. Army First Lieutenant Leon Clay Wesson | Crown Hill Columbarium Annex, Indianapolis, IN |
| Iowa | Mr. Jonathan Markus Adel DeSoto Minburn Middle School Adel, IA | U.S. Army Corporal Reginald Atkins U.S. Army Sergeant First Class (Rev.) Henry J. Bevel, Jr. | Iowa Veterans Cemetery, Adel, IA |
| Kansas | Ms. Angie Gumm St. Mary Parish Catholic School Derby, KS | U.S. Army Private First Class Judith Elaine Russell Allen U.S. Army Private First Class John Willie Blue | Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Winfield, Winfield, KS |
| Kentucky | Mrs. Kathy Bess St. Patrick School Maysville, KY | U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Fred Lee Baker U.S. Navy Seaman Apprentice Doris Jeanine Abshire Logan | Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Nicholasville, KY |
| Maryland | Mr. Leif Liberg Saint Mary’s Ryken High School Leonardtown, MD | U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Carroll Hawthorne Allen U.S. Army Sergeant Dolores Helen Katashuk Ames | National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico, Triangle, VA |
| Mrs. Ali Schilpp Northern Middle School Accident, MD | U.S. Army First Lieutenant Jack Ephriam Arch U.S. Air Force Airman Basic Phillip Ottawao Taylor | Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery, Flintstone, MD | |
| Massachusetts | Mr. Brian Sheehy North Andover High School North Andover, MA | U.S. Army Private Everette Walter Frye U.S. Air Force Airman Second Class Margaret “Peggy” Elgie Tansey Bentley | Fort Devens Post Cemetery, Devens, MA |
| Michigan | Ms. Erika Berger Boulan Park Middle School Troy, MI | U.S. Army Private First Class Jerry Cohen U.S. Army Private First Class Jose Antonio Fernandez | Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly, MI |
| Ms. Tara Fugate Richards Middle School Fraser, MI | U.S. Army Sergeant Alice Jean Morrison Bloetscher U.S. Air Force Airman Second Class Shirley Elizabeth McIntyre | Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly, MI | |
| Mississippi | Mrs. Catherine McGowin Southeast Lauderdale High School Meridian, MS | U.S. Army Corporal Vernon Anderson U.S. Army Private Orville Clyde “Pete” Breazeale | Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Newton, MS |
| Missouri | Ms. Megan Burian Marquette High School Chesterfield, MO | U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Johanna Elizabeth Balla Baskin Butt U.S. Army Private First Class Calvin Gilmore, Jr. | Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, MO |
| Nebraska | Mrs. Sarah Burr Syracuse Middle School Syracuse, NE | U.S. Air Force Airman Second Class Ruth Elaine Grabner Frost U.S. Army Private First Class Hiawatha Thompson | Omaha National Cemetery, Omaha, NE |
| Mrs. Kim Henry and Mrs. Janet Kuszak Loup City Public School Loup City, NE | U.S. Army Specialist Sixth Class Howard G. “Hap” Isbrandtsen U.S. Navy Metal Smith Petty Officer Second Class George Marvin Kamper | Nebraska Veterans Home Cemetery, Grand Island, NE | |
| New Hampshire | Mrs. Sierra Dolce Bedford High School Bedford, NH | U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Phyllis B. Arnold Crowley U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Patricia “Pat” Ann O’Brien Dawe | New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, Boscawen, NH |
| New Mexico | Ms. Sheila Uy Twin Buttes Cyber Academy Zuni, NM | U.S. Army Private First Class Alex Roland Seowtewa | Quincy Pateah Cemetery, Zuni, NM |
| New York | Mr. Patrick Sprinkle New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies New York, NY | U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Morton Bronstein U.S. Army Private First Class Jack Leonard Cohen | Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, NY |
| North Carolina | Mrs. Cecilia Ruth Marcus Smoky Mountain High School Sylva, NC | U.S. Navy Seaman Robert Elden “Bobby” Buchanan U.S. Air Force Airman Second Class Thomas Lee Conley | Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, Black Mountain, NC |
| Ms. Rebecca Simmons Mount Airy High School Mount Airy, NC | U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Alanna Grayce Maddock Crowder U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Billie Clark Alexander | Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery, Dublin, VA | |
| Mr. Wesley Young Camden County High School Camden, NC | U.S. Navy Steward Chief Petty Officer Aurelio Papo Abrigo U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Bess Lee Melvin | Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, Suffolk, VA | |
| Oklahoma | Mrs. Heather McCormick Blair High School Blair, OK | U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Sir Mack H. Allen, Jr. U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Roosevelt Claiborne “R.C.” Peterson | Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin, OK |
| Pennsylvania | Mr. Gregory Maigur Holicong Middle School Doylestown, PA | U.S. Army Private George A. Benton U.S. Army First Lieutenant Carl Mervil Cousins | Washington Crossing National Cemetery, Washington Crossing, PA |
| Puerto Rico | Mr. Tim Proskauer Ramey School Aguadilla, PR | U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Calixto A. López Piñero U.S. Army Corporal Gregorio Russe-Cordero | Los Jardines Memorial Park, Isabela, PR Morovis National Cemetery, Morovis, PR |
| South Dakota | Mrs. Carissa VanderLey Chamberlain High School Chamberlain, SD | U.S. Army Private First Class Sam Edward Dupris U.S. Army Private First Class Clifford E. Loudner, Sr. | Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis, SD |
| Tennessee | Dr. Duke Richey McCallie School Chattanooga, TN | U.S. Army Private Samuel Gooden U.S. Army Specialist Second Class John T. Pataky | Chattanooga National Cemetery, Chattanooga, TN |
| Texas | Mr. Rhett Carter and Dr. Joseph Russell Plano East Senior High School Plano, TX | U.S. Army Colonel Enrique “Hank” Irizarry-Toro U.S. Army Sergeant Hoise Bell | Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, Dallas, Texas |
| Mr. Bill Garza Fox Technical High School San Antonio, TX | U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Belsario J. Flores, Jr. U.S. Army Colonel Lois Anne Johns | Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, TX | |
| Mrs. Jan Martinez Odyssey Academy-Webster Webster, TX | U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Lezell Hiawatha Hart U.S. Army Corporal Oliver Eugene Brown, Sr. | Houston National Cemetery, Houston, TX | |
| Mrs. Heather Watkins Navasota High School Navasota, TX | U.S. Army Private First ClassHenry Martinez U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ernest Kelly Shaw | Houston National Cemetery, Houston, TX | |
| Utah | Mrs. Heidi Stone Syracuse Arts Academy Syracuse, UT | U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Barton J. “Bart” Gressmen U.S. Army Private James Edward Glasper | Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park, Bluffdale, UT |
| Virginia | Mr. Andrew Abeyounis Grafton High School Yorktown, VA | U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Raymond Nevarro Armstead U.S. Marine Corps Private FIrst Class Angel Luis Rivera | Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, Suffolk, VA |
| Ms. Pam Rockenbach Plahs Swift Creek Middle School Midlothian, VA | U.S. Army Corporal Milton “Mickey” D. Alexander U.S. Air Force Airman First Class James P. Rodriguez, Sr. | Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Amelia, Amelia, VA | |
| Washington | Mrs. Nicole Maleki Skyview Middle School Bothell, WA | U.S. Army Captain Pearle E. Mack, Jr. U.S. Army Major Reynold Tadayoshi Muranaka | Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, WA |
| Wisconsin | Mrs. Lalitha Murali Glen Hills Middle School Glendale, WI | U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Orville E. Pitts U.S. Army Corporal Cecil Grayson Sutphen | Southern Wisconsin Veterans Cemetery, Union Grove, WI |
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About National History Day (NHD)
NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, that seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD is sponsored in part by the 400 Years of African American History Commission, The Better Angels Society, the Bezos Family Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Library of Congress, the Dr. Scholl Foundation, the Behring Global Educational Foundation, and the National Park Service. NHD has also received grant funding from the American Battle Monuments Commission and the Veterans Legacy Program. For more information, visit nhd.org.
