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City schools invite veterans into classroom

Homer Wilson tells  Pierce Elementary  students about 1943  when he enlisted.

World War II veteran Homer Wilson, who enlisted at age 18, leads Pierce Elementary School students in a rendition of “God Bless America” on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

Staff photo by Richard O Jones World War II veteran Homer Wilson, who enlisted at age 18, leads Pierce Elementary School students in a rendition of “God Bless America” on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

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By Richard O Jones, Staff Writer Updated 7:03 AM Thursday, November 12, 2009

HAMILTON — When Homer Wilson turned 18 in 1943, the United States was so embroiled in World War II that he felt like he didn’t have a choice but to enlist.

“You automatically went in the service,” he told a group of sixth-graders at Pierce Elementary Wednesday, Nov. 11, as part of the Hamilton City School District’s Veterans Day celebrations. “You knew it was coming.”

He told them about his trip to Europe on a boat with 15,000 other service men and his first encounters with the enemy.

“We didn’t hate anybody and we didn’t want to kill any Germans,” he said, “but we were told it was them or you, so what would you do? They were just kids, too ... and they didn’t want to kill us any more than we did them, but it was wartime.”

In the afternoon, Garfield Middle School students gathered to hear from members of the high school’s ROTC program and winners of the schools’ essay contest.

Austin Malone won a $25 first-place prize for his essay about his family’s military history.

“No matter whether you believe in war or not, our soldiers deserve respect for their courageousness and their service to our country,” he wrote.

Second place went to Corinne Crum and third to Tristen Chenoweth.

Linden Elementary students walked to the nearby St. Mary’s Cemetery to place flags on veterans’ monuments, and Sheli Zeller’s fourth-grade class at Van Buren Elementary wrote letters to her husband’s platoon, currently stationed in Iraq.

At the Freshman School, students brought in pictures of veterans they know to create a picture wall, and Bridgeport Elementary students wrote thank-you letters to veterans and posted them in the lobby.

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