COLLEGE PARK, MD – November 10, 2025 – In honor of Veterans Day and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps, National History Day® (NHD) is proud to announce the teachers selected for its newest Silent Heroes® program, Untold Stories from the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II, patrocinado por una subvención de la Programa de legado de veteranos al Departamento de Asuntos de Veteranos de EE. UU.. This fall, selected teachers will partner with their students to research the lives of over 100 Veterans who served during World War II, continued to serve their community after returning home, and are currently buried or memorialized in a U.S. national or state Veterans cemetery.
Teachers and students will meet monthly with historian Christopher Hamner, Ph.D., of George Mason University to study the history of the Marine Corps, World War II, and the experience of Veterans who returned to their communities. Guided by eight research mentors, participants will use NHD-created materials and other resources such as Ancestry Classroom, Fold3, Newspapers.com, local libraries and historical societies, and 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 Monumento al legado de los veteranos y NHD Sitio web de Silent HeroesVer una muestra Perfil del héroe silencioso aquí from NHD’s 2024/2025 program, focusing on Korean War-era Veterans.
“On Veterans Day, we recognize all Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. I am very proud of the teachers and students researching World War II Veterans who served in the Marine Corps through a grant 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 the stories of Veterans is some of the most powerful 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 2026 to honor their Veterans and read eulogies at their graves. In addition to the digital profiles, NHD will produce video eulogies for the Veterans. See a sample NHD-produced video eulogy.
The teachers selected for this program represent 33 states and 42 U.S. national or state cemeteries. NHD celebrates the following teachers participating in this program and the Veterans they selected to research:
| Maestro y escuela | U.S. Marine Corps Veterans | Cementerio |
| Ms. Callie Outlaw Tuscaloosa Academy Tuscaloosa, AL | U.S. Navy Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Corpsman Hubert Albert Awtrey (U.S. Marine Corps Corpsman) Corporal Addie Belle Raybon Bozeman | Alabama National Cemetery Montevallo, AL |
| Dra. Rebekah West Keur Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy Phoenix, Arizona | Sergeant Major Elmo Arthur Burns Gunnery Sergeant Charles Frankel Corporal Ruth Rosalie Horenstein Staff Sergeant Janet Ann Pearson Stoeberl | National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona Phoenix, Arizona |
| Mrs. Katy Wellborn Pulaski Academy Little Rock, AR | Private Louis Ferdinand Brown Captain John Howard Yancey | Little Rock National Cemetery Little Rock, AR |
| Sra. Aditi Doshi Escuela secundaria Van Nuys Van Nuys, California | Corporal Ivan Caldwell Cannady Sergeant Frances Helen Pyeatt Salyer | Los Angeles National Cemetery Los Angeles, CA |
| La señora Emily Green Distrito Escolar POLYTECH Woodside, Delaware | Corporal Albert John Homiak Corporal Robert Ezra Williams | Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery – New Castle County Bear, DE Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery Millsboro, DE |
| Mr. Alex Hujik Lake Highland Preparatory School Orlando, FL | Staff Sergeant Thomas Joseph Pechacek Sergeant Isom “Ike” Alto Rigell | Cape Canaveral National Cemetery Mims, FL |
| Mrs. Mercedes Cortes City of Pembroke Pines Charter School Middle- West Campus Pembroke Pines, FL | Staff Sergeant Joseph Gulya Corporal Samuel Harold Oser | South Florida National Cemetery Wellington, FL |
| Ms. April Balenger Arts Innovation Magnet Program Winder, GA | Corporal Inez Riley Moss Sergeant August Joseph Tramonte | Georgia National Cemetery Canton, GA |
| Ms. Arminda Lawrence, Sr. Pace Academy Atlanta, GA | Gunnery Sergeant Warren C. Armstrong Private First Class Miles Robert Donaldson Master Sergeant John T. Kesler Master Gunnery Sergeant Richard R. Neumann | Marietta National Cemetery Marietta, GA |
| Sra. Pualeilani Fernández Hilo Intermediate School Hilo, HI | Chief Warrant Officer Second Class George David Durham Private Robert Edward Lemmon | East Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery Hilo, HI |
| Ms. Janyce Omura Maui High School Kahului, HI | Major Jay “Jason” Leonard Anthony Lembeck Lieutenant Colonel Russell “Whitey” Lloyd | Maui Veterans Cemetery Makawao, HI |
| Mr. Adam Mastalski Compass Honors High School Meridian, ID | Private First Class Ivan Emery Fleming Sergeant Joseph Stinson “Joe” McElhinney, Jr. | Idaho State Veterans Cemetery Boise, ID |
| Sra. Kristin Rentschler Escuela secundaria de la ciudad de Columbia Columbia City, IN | Lieutenant Colonel Russell John McCurdy Private William Alfred Yates, Jr. | Marion National Cemetery Marion, IN |
| Señor Jonathan Markus Escuela secundaria Adel DeSoto Minburn Adel, Iowa | Major Merton Peter “Mert” Hansen Private First Class James William “Jim” McLeran | Iowa Veterans Cemetery Adel, Iowa |
| Ms. Cheryl Smith Johnston High School Johnston Middle School Johnston, IA | Sergeant George Elias Addison Private First Class Raymond Norbert Dickes First Lieutenant Robert Daniel Gaskill | Iowa Veterans Cemetery Adel, Iowa |
| Mrs. Laura Craig Bethlehem High School Bardstown, KY | Private Elmer Lee Arnold Corporal James Beaven Miles | Lebanon National Cemetery Lebanon, KY |
| Mr. Paul Manuel Valdezco Glasgow Middle School Baton Rouge, LA | Private Johnie Ervin Branch, Jr. Sergeant George Sylvester Greeneberg | Baton Rouge National Cemetery Baton Rouge, LA |
| Mrs. Amie Dryer The Calverton School Huntingdon, MD | Private Paul F. W. Hummel Corporal Ruth Daria Franz Hummel Colonel John Nevin Rentz | Baltimore National Cemetery Baltimore, MD |
| Mrs. Jennifer Harris Salisbury Christian School Salisbury, MD | Corporal Joseph Elia Camardese, Sr. Private First Class Vaughn Brown Russell | Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery – Sussex County Millsboro, DE |
| Mr. Michael Hill St. Mary’s Lynn Lynn, MA | Corporal Keith Albert Krewson Colonel Ernestine Stowell | Massachusetts National Cemetery Bourne, MA |
| Mrs. Chelsea Blair Our Lady of Refuge School West Bloomfield Township, MI | Corporal Herman Harold Schneider Master Sergeant David Splatt | Great Lakes National Cemetery Holly, MI |
| Señora Elizabeth Green Instituto Técnico Universitario y Profesional Pascagoula, MS | Major Robert Hill McCormick Staff Sergeant Marguerite H. Ross | Biloxi National Cemetery Biloxi, MS |
| Mrs. Taylor Olsen Harlowton High School Harlowton, MT | Sergeant Edward William “Bill” Knebel Corporal Walter S. Pfister | Yellowstone National Cemetery Laurel, MT |
| Mrs. Megan Philbrook Andover Elementary/Middle School Andover, NH | Corporal Rudolph Eugene Miniutti Corporal Reginald Guy Walker, Jr. | Cementerio de veteranos del estado de New Hampshire, Boscawen, NH |
| Ms. Gwen Duralek Franklin High School Somerset, NJ | Corporal Joseph Raup Private First Class Georgia M. McMahon Rogers | Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery Wrightstown, NJ |
| Mr. Bryan Melnick Simon Baruch Middle School Nueva York, NY | Corporal William C. Arnold Lieutenant Colonel Francis Joseph Nelligan | Cypress Hills National Cemetery Brooklyn, NY |
| Mrs. Karen Schmitt Stimson Middle School Huntington Station, NY | Sergeant James F. McEnery Sergeant Laurence Edward Morva | Long Island National Cemetery Farmingdale, NY |
| El señor Patrick Sprinkle Escuela de laboratorio de estudios colaborativos de la ciudad de Nueva York Nueva York, NY | Corporal Peter Humberto Fabregas Corporal Gerard Francis Jansen | Long Island National Cemetery Farmingdale, NY |
| Sra. Whitney Cooper Escuela secundaria Valley Springs Arden, NC | Major Thomas Fulton Savage, Jr. Steward First Class Alfred Jetter Whitesides, Sr. | Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery Black Mountain, NC |
| Sra. Patricia Robblee Escuela secundaria Lejeune Camp Lejeune, NC | Master Sergeant Turner Grady Blount Gunnery Sergeant Wallace Alfred Boudrow | Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery Jacksonville, NC |
| Señor Wesley Young Escuela secundaria del condado de Camden Camden, Carolina del Norte | Corporal LeRoy “Shorty” Willie Cason Corporal Robert Elmo Nichols, Sr. | Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery Suffolk, VA |
| Dr. Christa Adams Bard Early College Cleveland Cleveland, OH | Corporal Paul English Dzeiak Master Technical Sergeant Germain Joseph “Jerry” Suminski | Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery Rittman, OH |
| Mrs. Brenda Unsinger Geneva High School Geneva, OH | Master Sergeant William Milton Pitts Corporal Martha Mary Rayne Weyrick | Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery Rittman, OH |
| Señora Stefanie Spivey Escuela secundaria y preparatoria Heppner Heppner, OR | Sergeant Andy Nyal Campbell Colonel Kenneth Lyle Reusser | Willamette National Cemetery Portland, OR |
| Mr. Brian Weaver Central Bucks High School – West Doylestown, Pensilvania | Corporal Edward Joseph Dymek Major Samuel Lynn Hynes | Washington Crossing National Cemetery Washington Crossing, PA |
| Señora Kim Guthrie Palmetto Christian Academy Gaffney Gaffney, SC | Private First Class Richard Eugene Irvin Sergeant Louis Roy Sanchez | M.J. “Dolly” Cooper Veterans Cemetery Anderson, SC |
| Mrs. Sue Larson Rapid City Christian School Rapid City, SD | Master Sergeant Thomas John Abourezk Corporal Benny James Gross | Black Hills National Cemetery Sturgis, SD |
| Dr. Andrew Fultz L&N STEM Academy Knoxville, TN | Corporal George Edward Price Staff Sergeant Carl Burton Taylor | Eastern TN State Veterans Cemetery – Governor John Sevier Highway Knoxville, TN |
| Mrs. Whitney Joyner Kirkwood Middle School Clarksville, TN | Corporal William Pennington Hornsby Sergeant Francis Dubose Moore | Nashville National Cemetery Nashville, TN |
| Mrs. Vannessa Guerra Dr. Archie Blanson Career and Technical Education High School Houston, TX | Technical Sergeant Eugene E. Pendergast Sergeant Maria Consuelo “Connie” Espinosa Pendergast Private First Class Arthur Espinoza Rodriquez, Sr. | Houston National Cemetery Houston, TX |
| Mrs. Heather McCormick, Mrs. Judy Garza, and Mr. Kelly Moore Snyder Junior High School Snyder, TX | Sergeant Robert Edward Arnold Corporal Otto Byrns (O.B.) Freeman, Jr. Captain Gordon Harris Gray Corporal Benjamin Frank Schwartz Corporal James “Coach” Stanley Suba Corporal Willis Merritt Zinn | Texas State Veterans Cemetery at Abilene Abilene, TX |
| Mrs. Michele Santosuosso St. Mark’s School of Texas Dallas, TX | Technical Staff Sergeant Peter George Private First Class William A. “Speedy” Hecht | Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery Dallas, TX |
| Señora Heidi Stone Academia de Artes de Syracuse Siracusa, Utah | Captain Robert John Epperson Private First Class John Estrada | Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park Bluffdale, UT |
| Mrs. Julia Winslow Escuela secundaria Providence Hall Herriman, UT | Captain Frank Douglas Boll, Jr. Sergeant Gladys Mae Topolski Breen | Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park Bluffdale, UT |
| Sra. Nicole Winter Escuela secundaria Cosby Midlothian, Virginia | Technical Sergeant Robert Kenneth Campbell, Sr. Technical Sergeant Edward Fisher McKnew, Jr. | Virginia Veterans Cemetery at Amelia Amelia, VA |
| Señora Marley Hoefs Escuela secundaria de St. Croix Falls St. Croix Falls, WI | Captain William Robert Bennewicz Corporal Harlan Theodore Rosvold | Fort Snelling National Cemetery Minneapolis, MN |
| El señor Chuck Taft University School at Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI | Corporal Roman Dolata Private First Class Lloyd C. Schneider | Wood National Cemetery Milwaukee, WI |
###
Acerca de National History Day (NHD)
NHD es una organización sin fines de lucro con sede en College Park, Maryland, que busca mejorar la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de la historia. El Concurso National History Day se fundó en 1974 y actualmente involucra a más de medio millón de estudiantes cada año en la realización de investigaciones originales sobre temas históricos de interés. Los estudiantes presentan sus investigaciones en forma de documental, exposición, artículo, presentación o sitio web. Los proyectos compiten primero a nivel local y de afiliados, y los mejores proyectos son invitados al Concurso Nacional de la Universidad de Maryland en College Park. NHD cuenta con el patrocinio parcial de la Comisión de 400 Años de Historia Afroamericana, la Sociedad Better Angels, la Fundación Familiar Bezos, la Fundación Benéfica Joyful Noise, la Fundación Educativa Global Behring y el Servicio de Parques Nacionales. Para más información, visite nhd.dream.prensa.
CONTACTO CON LOS MEDIOS: DKCNHD@dkcnews.com
