WILLSBORO — Ed Collins shared his experiences in the U.S. Navy during World War II with a future generation at Willsboro Central School.
As he has in past years around Veterans Day, Collins met with Lorilee Sheehan's and Sheree Ford's third-graders.
"We want the students to know that Veterans Day is more than just a day off," School Superintendent Steve Broadwell explained. "They need to be reminded what the day really means."
Before the visit, the young scholars were asked what the term "veteran" meant to them. To John Shier it is, "A day we celebrate the men and women who protect our country." Logan Polak added that it was for "all the people who died or survived and sacrificed their legs and arms. They should be remembered every day." Several others mentioned relatives who served in the armed forces.
Collins prefaced his remarks to the kids by saying, "I was very fortunate I did not get hurt while in the Pacific. Many did not come back."
The naval veteran was trained for amphibious landings at the Great Lakes Naval Station, and then was shipped off on less-than-luxurious accommodations to New Guinea, then the Philippines and finally Okinawa.
Servicemen were stacked nine high in their bunks and had to stand while eating on the packed troop ship.
"They didn't tell you where you were going," Collins said. "You learned where you were when they stuck another pin in the map."
The realities of war were brought home as Collins told of buddies who died.
In one case, he looked up the widow and child of a casualty upon his return and kept up a correspondence for about five years until she remarried.
"I only went to the third year of high school," Collins said of his education. "I kick myself that I didn't go back to school."
He mentioned that last year when he was with the third-graders was the first time he had ever ridden in a school bus.
The 85-year-old Collins, whose father served in World War I, spent 27 months in the Navy.
When asked if he had any fun, the veteran replied: "Yes. But there were heart-breaking times, as well. At times, I would lie on my pillow and cry. I missed my mother and father."
When a student asked what Veterans Day meant to him, Collins answered, "It means we honor everyone who has protected our country."
The students and Collins then boarded a bus to go to the Willsboro War Memorial, which is dedicated "to the eternal memory of those who gave their lives."
The students searched the panels for relatives, neighbors and family friends who served in the armed forces and made crayon rubbings of their names on paper.
E-mail Alvin Reiner at: rondackramler@yahoo.com
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