thedrifter
11-08-07, 06:35 AM
Published November 07, 2007
Veteran shares WWII lessons with students
Venice Buhain
World War II veteran Lynn "Buck" Compton told St. Michael School students Wednesday to honor those who have served in the military by voting in the future to support freedom at home.
"My appeal to you is that you honor these veterans that fought these wars for us by standing up for your individual freedom," said Compton, who was a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division company portrayed in the TV miniseries "Band of Brothers."
St. Michael School honored Compton and other veterans at its Veterans Day assembly. Veterans Day falls on Sunday this year and will be observed Monday.
Compton, 85, and about two dozen others who have served at different times in the Air Force, Marines, Army and Navy were honored by the Catholic school with music and a gift of a St. Michael medal and prayer card.
"We thought it was appropriate; St. Michael is the protector of the church, and veterans are the protector of the country," said school principal Jack Nelson.
Nelson said the school invites parents, grandparents and extended relatives of students to be honored at the annual assembly.
The sixth- and third-graders at St. Michael made the prayer cards, each of which contained a personalized, hand-written note, said sixth-grade teacher Marilyn Getchman.
Marissa Allin, 12, one of Getchman's students, said that on her card, she thanked veterans for their service.
"I wanted them to know we don't just appreciate them today, but all the time," she said.
Compton was the Los Angeles County district attorney who prosecuted Sirhan Sirhan, the man who assassinated Robert Kennedy, and eventually was appointed to the Second District of the California Court of Appeal by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. He gave the keynote address to the students and answered questions about his service. Some of the students asked questions related to "Band of Brothers," such as whether he knew Richard Winters, the main character in the series.
Compton, who is retired and lives in Burlington, said that while some parts of the series were dramatized for effect, it has opened the door for adults and children to ask their veteran fathers and grandfathers questions about World War II.
"It doesn't take a big, brave guy to jump out of an airplane," he answered when one student asked if being a paratrooper was scary. "It's what happens when you get to the ground."
"They say, 'Oh, he never talked about it,' as if there were some big mystery about it. I always felt it was because they never got asked," he said. "That was true, until 'Band of Brothers,' and then people started to want to know more."
Compton, who once hosted a conservative radio talk show and continues his broadcast on a blog at buckcompton.blogspot.com, told students he saw the Iraq War as another in a series of U.S. wars against regimes that opposed capitalism and personal freedom.
"The war we're fighting today is more important than World War II," he told them.
Venice Buhain covers education for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5445 or vbuhain@theolympian.com.
Ellie
Veteran shares WWII lessons with students
Venice Buhain
World War II veteran Lynn "Buck" Compton told St. Michael School students Wednesday to honor those who have served in the military by voting in the future to support freedom at home.
"My appeal to you is that you honor these veterans that fought these wars for us by standing up for your individual freedom," said Compton, who was a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division company portrayed in the TV miniseries "Band of Brothers."
St. Michael School honored Compton and other veterans at its Veterans Day assembly. Veterans Day falls on Sunday this year and will be observed Monday.
Compton, 85, and about two dozen others who have served at different times in the Air Force, Marines, Army and Navy were honored by the Catholic school with music and a gift of a St. Michael medal and prayer card.
"We thought it was appropriate; St. Michael is the protector of the church, and veterans are the protector of the country," said school principal Jack Nelson.
Nelson said the school invites parents, grandparents and extended relatives of students to be honored at the annual assembly.
The sixth- and third-graders at St. Michael made the prayer cards, each of which contained a personalized, hand-written note, said sixth-grade teacher Marilyn Getchman.
Marissa Allin, 12, one of Getchman's students, said that on her card, she thanked veterans for their service.
"I wanted them to know we don't just appreciate them today, but all the time," she said.
Compton was the Los Angeles County district attorney who prosecuted Sirhan Sirhan, the man who assassinated Robert Kennedy, and eventually was appointed to the Second District of the California Court of Appeal by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. He gave the keynote address to the students and answered questions about his service. Some of the students asked questions related to "Band of Brothers," such as whether he knew Richard Winters, the main character in the series.
Compton, who is retired and lives in Burlington, said that while some parts of the series were dramatized for effect, it has opened the door for adults and children to ask their veteran fathers and grandfathers questions about World War II.
"It doesn't take a big, brave guy to jump out of an airplane," he answered when one student asked if being a paratrooper was scary. "It's what happens when you get to the ground."
"They say, 'Oh, he never talked about it,' as if there were some big mystery about it. I always felt it was because they never got asked," he said. "That was true, until 'Band of Brothers,' and then people started to want to know more."
Compton, who once hosted a conservative radio talk show and continues his broadcast on a blog at buckcompton.blogspot.com, told students he saw the Iraq War as another in a series of U.S. wars against regimes that opposed capitalism and personal freedom.
"The war we're fighting today is more important than World War II," he told them.
Venice Buhain covers education for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5445 or vbuhain@theolympian.com.
Ellie