Middle school students plan dance honoring veterans: Middle school students plan dance honoring veterans

Nov 07, 2009 (The Hawk Eye - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- JMLCA | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- For the last several years, World War II veteran Ken Mitchell has been a familiar face at James Madison Middle School. He's been volunteering at the school for nearly a decade, helping Patty Huppenbauer maintain her consumer science classes.

"He's been my right hand man," Huppenbauer said. "He kept my machines running and kept me organized the best he could."

Since Mitchell is retiring from his volunteer service at the school, the James Madison student council honored him and other area veterans at their junior high dance Friday night.

"Mr. Mitchell has been helping out in our consumer science class, and he's a veteran, and we found out he's on the waiting list for the Honor Tour, so we just put it together," said 13-year-old student council member Keegan Flaherty.

More than half a dozen area World War II veterans were invited to talk to the children and share their stories as the dance began. The big band music piping in through the speakers only amplified the atmosphere.

"We try to educate the children about the World War II honor tour," said James Madison teacher Linda Jones.

The Honor Tour has taken 40 area vets to the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C., over the past year, and another trip is being planned for April 2010.

Money earned from Friday night's dance and a sixth-grade dance last week was donated directly to the Honor Tour. It came to a total of $925.

According to World War II vet Newt Colburn, who attended the dance in his full uniform, the cost of sending one veteran on a three-day, all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C., is about $1,500.

"I think this is great," Colburn said while taking a brief break from sharing World War II stories with the students.

For Mitchell, the display of gratitude from the teachers and students was almost too much. Mitchell, a frequent letter writer during the war, often had to pause to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"I used to write Donna Reed," he said with a grin.

He wasn't the only one. The movie star's youngest daughter recently dug out an old trunk full of her mom's letters, including one from Mitchell and 340 other servicemen.

World War II Navy veteran Jim Darnold, 87, also was delighted to tell the students about his service. He currently has nine children, 26 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, and is on the waiting list for the Honor Tour.

During his time transporting vehicles and supplies for the Navy, Darnold lived through the biggest typhoon that had ever hit Okinawa, and was witness to numerous scams while he was in Germany.

He said some parents would beat their children just to elicit sympathy supplies from the soldiers, and many German women married soldiers just so they could receive their money if they died.

"They called that shark bait. If they lived, they would just divorce them," he said. "There was all kinds of things like that going on. It was crazy."

Now in their 80s and 90s, many World War II veterans do not have the financial means or physical ability to get to Washington on their own. World War II veterans are dying at the rate of 850 a day nationwide.

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