Greenies Explore American Military History

Over Easter break in mid-April, trip leaders Mrs. Olga Mahoney and Mr. Leigh Harris took nine Greenies to Virginia to revisit and honor American military history. As part of a service component linked with the trip, Christ School students will be researching the names of every one of the 4,413 fallen during D-Day and building a database – the first one to include this information all in one place.

The trip began at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, the community that suffered the highest per capita D-Day losses in the nation. The Memorial honors the Allied forces that participated in the World War II invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Greenies met with 94-year-old D-Day Veteran Ash Rothlein, who shared his experiences and encouraged the students to serve others and be honorable. After speaking with Mr. Rothlein, Greenies learned about the planning, execution, and results of the June 6, 1944 invasion. They explored the collection of artifacts, trying on helmets and gas masks and examining rations, canned water, and weaponry.

From the Memorial, the students went on to visit Appomattox Court House, the location of the 1865 surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia that signaled the end of the nation's largest war. After learning about the last days of the Civil War, they marched to the battlefields at Petersburg. "Walking to the crater gave us an idea of the magnitude of the battle," says Mrs. Mahoney. "As I listened to the students, I realized they have acquired a new appreciation for the details of the Civil War."

The American Civil War Museum was their final stop on the trip. There they explored Historic Tredegar, housed in the 1861 Tredegar Gun Foundry, and the White House and Museum of the Confederacy. "The students represented Christ School proudly," says Mrs. Mahoney.