A secondhand war experience

Deirdre Newman

CORONA DEL MAR -- Students at Corona del Mar High School got a chance

to interact with living history Thursday when World War II veterans paid

a visit to their school.

The seventh- and eighth-graders sat spellbound, listening to heroic

stories from five veterans, including one who was awarded two Bronze Star

medals and a Purple Heart for wounds received in action.

In light of the country’s current war, the veterans underscored the

importance of the younger generation’s responsibilities in the future.

“We’re really concerned looking at you -- whatever you like or dislike

about this country -- you’ll have a big say so soon,” said Jack Hammett,

a Pearl Harbor survivor.

This is the third year that various veterans from the Freedom

Committee of Orange County have visited the school.

Hammett relayed the shock he felt as the Pearl Harbor attacks suddenly

transformed the idyllic paradise he and his new wife were enjoying into a

war zone.

“I didn’t see my wife for 72 hours, but we got through it,” Hammett

said.

Robert Phillips discussed his experience as a paratrooper who dropped

into Normandy on D-day and was captured by the Germans after three days.

“I was a prisoner of war for 11 months and was in two stalags,’

Phillips said. “And we were on the road at the end, walking about 15

miles a day for two months.”

When asked to compare the Pearl Harbor attack and the terrorist

attacks, Hammett said he believed the Sept. 11 attacks were more

devastating.

“The 19 men didn’t attack an armed force. They committed mass murder

on people who didn’t know why they were there,” Hammett said. “It was

truly a day of infamy that I don’t think anyone would have ever

imagined.”

Many of the students were moved by the veterans’ harrowing experiences

and said they had gained new insight on World War II.

“I thought their stories were amazing,” said Eric Seagondollar, an

eighth-grader. “I thought they were all very modest because they did

amazing stuff and tried not to make a big deal out of it.”

And some students were even inspired to think about serving their

country after hearing the veterans’ dramatic encounters.

“Now that I’ve learned about this, I think I may want to join the Army

or Marines to make a difference and help our country,” said Veronica

Friedman, an eighth-grader. “It would be special for me to follow what

these men went through.”