The 2020 Americanism and Government Trip has returned from Washington D.C. and was a huge success. 19 of the top winners of the A&G test were selected for this trip to Gettysburg and Washington DC. The students this year were….
12th Grade-
William Yang- District 14, Post 473
Tyler Hess- District 8, Post 161
Kade Gravenhorst- District 5, Post 83
Jared Wilson- District 4, Post 199
Kyla Fortman- District 1, Post 63
Lea Baldwin- District 2, Post 217
Hailey Blanchard- District 8, Post 637
11th Grade-
Nathan Hazlett- District 14, Post 473
Preston Grooms- District 7, Post 633
Remy Isenbreg- District 9, Post 719
Jasmine Washburn- District 4, Post 681
Graceanne Reed- District 7, Post 23
Grace Clouse- District 5, Post 354
10th Grade-
Aiden McDougal- District 5, Post 405
Luke Daniel- District 1, Post 537
Duncan Buckerfield- District 10, Post 221
Morgan Shupert- District 7, Post 633
Cassie Trudeau- District 2, Post 217
Kamry Gravenhorst- District 5, Post 83
The American Legion trip is not like the typical 8th-grade trip most Ohio teens experience. We have a smaller group of students and focus on history, Americanism, and respect for the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom.
Jean Wilson- Department 1st Vice Commander, Colleen Phillips- Auxiliary 1st Vice President, and Christie White- Americanism and Children & Youth Coordinator accompanied these young leaders as chaperones on this once in a lifetime trip. Our group left bright and early on Monday, March 2nd by visiting Flight 93 in Stoystown, PA. We were welcomed at the memorial by the Adjutant of American Legion Post 911 in Shanksville, PA. After our visit at Flight 93, we headed over to the Gettysburg Military Park. The battlefield tour was a great way to learn the history of Gettysburg in a “hands-on” setting. The views were breathtaking and helped our young leaders’ picture what things might have been like during the Civil War. Also, “you can never have too much Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg.”
Tuesday was one of the biggest highlights of the trip. The American Legion has placed a wreath at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier every year since 1936. This year was no different. Viewing the changing of the guard as well as placing the wreath at the tomb is always a very emotional highlight for The American Legion and the students. This year, Sophomore Aiden McDougal from Post 405 in District 5 and Sophomore Morgan Shupert from Post 633 in District 7 placed the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier along with Department 1st Vice Commander Jean Wilson and Auxiliary 1st Vice President Colleen Phillips. It is a once in a lifetime experience which will be remembered by these two outstanding students. The young leaders also had a private briefing by Sentinel (Tomb Guard) Jake Hammond who was originally from Mansfield, OH. Tuesday’s schedule also consisted of visiting the Iwo Jima Memorial, Air Force Memorial, Washington National Cathedral, Vietnam Wall, Lincoln Memorial, Korean Memorial, WWII Memorial, American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, and the Washington Monument. Our group was complimented 3 different times on how professional they looked. A tour guide with another group at Arlington said “You’re the best dressed group I have ever seen here. Very respectful” (and the students politely corrected him when he called the Ohio Flag a pennant and not a burgee). Another gentlemen at the Vietnam wall mentioned how well dressed, respectful, and nice our young leaders were. Our personal favorite is a woman who said, “You all must be that group from Ohio, you are always so well dressed.”
That is why we do it. We represent our Posts, our Districts, our Department, and our futures.
The highlight of Wednesday was a visit to the Capital Building as well as meeting our Ohio Congressmen Warren Davidson. He was kind enough to meet our group on the steps of The Capital and speak to our students and allow them to ask some tough questions. After our question and answer session, we had a private Capitol Tour from Representative Davidson’s interns. After hearing how much the leaders wanted to visit the Library of Congress, we decided to make a surprise stop after we finished at the Capitol. The highlight for most of them was getting official library cards from the Library of Congress. We also visited the Agriculture Building, Smithsonian Museums- American History and Natural History, Holocaust Museum, MLK Monument, FDR Memorial, and the Jefferson Monument; or as they called it, “T.J.’s House”.
Thursday was a visit that is always a favorite…… Quantico. Quantico is an active Marine Corps base and FBI Training Academy that is the headquarters of the Presidential Helicopter Squadron also known as HMX-1 or Marine One. Our first stop at Quantico was a K9 Demonstration with Officer Pacheco and his K9 partner Diego. We then met up with Corporal Nutter (originally from Toledo), and he was our escort to the HMX-1 hanger. We were briefed by an HMX-1 Pilot (call sign “Mickey”), that is on the Presidential detail, and she gave us a tour of the base. The trip ended with a stop in the hanger, where the students walked inside and sat in the pilots set of a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. It is a tilt-rotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing. Before leaving Quantico, they had the “chow hall” experience for lunch. After Quantico, we also visited the Marine Corps Museum, The White House, National Archives, and National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum.
Our final stop on the way home Friday was the new National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio.
I would like to take a moment of personal privilege….
I feel like I started to get to know these students before I even met them. Looking at their tests, reading their bios, etc.
Their tests, do not do them justice. Their bios do not do them justice. They are so much more than words on paper. They are smart, so so smart. They are funny, confident, empathetic, caring, and overall amazing individuals. When I say young leaders, I mean that whole heartedly. They are the future, and they WILL make a difference in this world. I promise you that.
My advice for you young leaders…. always be kind, be confident in your response even if your response is wrong (the worst thing that can happen is that someone says no. But every no is a learning opportunity) and believe in yourselves.
Keep an eye on these young leaders, they are going places.
John Glenn once said, “The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds.” So please go inspire the future generations. I know you have inspired me.
Kamry, Duncan, Cassie, Remy, Grace, Luke, Graceanne, Preston, Morgan, Kyla, Nathan, Jasmine, Lea, Hailey, Tyler, William, Aiden, Kade and Jared…. Thank you!
Also, thank you to Department 1st Vice Commander Jean and Auxiliary 1st Vice President Colleen for chaperoning the trip.
Christie White
Americanism and Children & Youth Coordinator
The American Legion Department of Ohio