New Tech students interview WWII veterans, bringing deeper meaning to their coursework
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Nostalgic thoughts ran through Gerald Kinsey's mind as he spoke to several New Tech Institute students Wednesday for the school's Seventh annual Hoosier Veterans Consortium.
Kinsey, an Army and United States Air Force veteran, was nearly speechless when asked how it feels to share his life story. Stories like Kinsey's are what many of the students at the event have been studying in books in their U.S. History and freshman English classes.
"I enjoy telling them what I did," Kinsey said.
The annual program welcomes veterans from World War II through current global conflicts as part of the school's "America at War" project. They are placed at individual tables in New Tech's assembly hall and students are given the opportunity to talk to them about their military background and experiences.
"It's just a great opportunity," New Tech Principal Chris Gibson said. "You really see the freshman realize how cool it is to talk with a veteran, especially a World War II veteran.
"History is always a study of what happened, but when you have someone who was on the front lines actually experiencing it and they're willing to share it, that's what makes it so special."
New Tech student Andrew Schaefer said speaking with past U.S. veterans, some as old as 100, brought life to the history he's researched in preparation for the project.
New Tech history teacher Ryan Jones said having these students speak with the veterans bridges the gap between secondary historical accounts and real-life perspectives, making for a deeper impact.
"It's about personalizing history," Jones said. "It's one thing to read about this stuff in a textbook, but to really talk to people who have served goes way beyond any lecture I can give."
To close out the annual project, each student will transcribe the interviews they recorded and prepare them to be archived in the Evansville Wartime Museum at a later time.