STORIES FOR VETERANS
(excerpts from posts)
(If you want to retell any of the stories listed below, be sure to obtain permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain)

1) In the November/December issue of Archaelogy there is an article that might offer a good base for a story, A Long Road Home by William Belcher. It focuses on the U. S. Army's Central Identification Laboratory to bring home Second Lieutenant George Gaffney who went missing during WWII in New Guinea. Its a moving and fascinating article that describes what the investigators went through to track and identify both he and his plane. There is a very moving sidebar article by his daughter, who was born shortly after he went missing, and who escorted his remains to Arlington.

2) Pearl Harbor Day
http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-6680.html?wtlAC=gsb110201,e

3) Veterans Day
http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-6674.html?wtlAC=gsb110201,e

4) In The Tiger's Whisker, the husband's problems in loving his wife are caused by having been to war.

5) This is a great opportunity to have the audience tell their own stories. Don't get too serious, have them tell a "Basic Training" story. Everyone who has been in service has a Basic or Boot story and most of them are really funny and get memories started on the other stuff. I did this with a group of retirees from TWA, telling early Airline stories, just Friday and could hardly get them shut up!

6) They might enjoy the story of Deborah Sampson Gannett, who fought in the Revolutionary War disguised as a man. There's a version in Stories for Free Children, and a couple of other children's versions--enough so you could put something together without infringing copyright. I've done it for adults as well as children, and people have liked it. She did, incidentally, receive a pension as a veteran of the Continental Army, and her service is marked on her tombstone.

7) Here's one that I found in the 1978 version of the Reader's Digest's American Folklore and Legend. It's short and could be used as a fill-in story:
Men of the Army Air Force told of a bombing raid over Germany on which one plane had an Army chaplain, who had gone along "for the ride." Anti-aircraft fire and enemy fighter planes were all around. Thinking to calm the men, the chaplain got on the intercom and said quietly, "It's all right, men. Have no fear. God is with you." Immediately the tail gunner shouted back, "He may be with you guys up front, but He's not back here." Seconds later a shell tore through the bottom of the tail turret and passed out the top without exploding. There was a moment of stunned silence, and then the tail gunner hastily added: "Correction, please. God just walked in!"

8) In the November/December issue of Archaelogy there is an article that might offer a good base for a story, A Long Road Home by William Belcher. It focuses on the U. S. Army's Central Identification Laboratory to bring home Second Lieutenant George Gaffney who went missing during WWII in New Guinea. Its a moving and fascinating article that describes what the investigators went through to track and identify both he and his plane. There is a very moving sidebar article by his daughter, who was born shortly after he went missing, and who escorted his remains to Arlington.

9) Although I personally love the Butch and Eddie story, you may want to read another take on the story at
http://www.snopes.com/glurge/ohare.htm
Although Butch's story is pretty much on track, Eddie's portrayal is not quite so noble.

(This web page updated 10/28/03)