“Memorial Day and Veterans Day are my favorite holidays,” said Stacy Shalala, a teacher at Incarnate Word Academy in Parma Heights and organizer of the school’s annual Military Day.
Shalala, the daughter of a Korean War veteran, is a seventh-grade homeroom teacher and a language arts teacher for grades 6-7. She has worked with students to implement the IWA Military Day activities prior to Memorial Day each year for students in grades 5-8.
Mike Wisnor, IWA president, said the school has nearly 400 students from preschool to grade 8. It has earned Purple Star designation from the Ohio Department of Education for its commitment to students and families who are connected to the military.
(See photo gallery above.)
This year’s program took place on May 22 at two locations: IWA and Cuyahoga Community College’s Western Campus in Parma. Parents and veterans were among the special guests invited to the event.
After welcoming remarks and a brief introduction, the National Anthem was sung and interpreted in American Sign Language, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, which was both recited and interpreted in ASL. A student presentation discussed Memorial Day as an occasion to celebrate the nation’s heroes. Another student described a hero. The group then watched a brief video on discipline and freedom, followed by an interactive presentation.
Dave Cobb, operations director for Mission BBQ which has a Parma location, was a special guest and spoke briefly. The restaurant, which features homemade and handcrafted foods, “proudly serves those who serve,” Cobb said.
Students from grades 6-8 acknowledged “IWA Warriors” for their good deeds in the community, including participation in the Wreaths Across America initiative that places wreaths on veterans’ graves. IWA students visited the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman.
Seventh-graders then set the POW/MIA table while a member of the 3/25 Marines from Brook Park explained the symbolism. The table is a reminder that the POWs/MIAs cannot join their families at the table, so a place is set in their honor. The table was set with a place setting, a lemon, salt, inverted glass, flowers, a Bible and an empty chair with a POW/MIA covering.
The somber program concluded with a violin solo by one of the IWA students.
Students received flags and signs as they lined up for the second part of the Military Day activities: an approximately two-mile walk to Tri-C. They were joined by some of the veterans in attendance, some family members and few Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, who sponsor IWA.
Escorted by Parma Heights police, the group was “clapped out” by younger students as they left the IWA property on Pearl Road, crossed the street and worked their way to York Road. After arriving at Tri-C, they had lunch and then moved into the Atrium for a special program focusing on D-Day. June 6 will mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, which was the turning point of World War II for the Allies.
Max Miller, an Army veteran and program manager for Tri-C’s Crile Archives, gave a detailed presentation of June 6, 1944, known as Operation Overload or D-Day. He focused on the generals – both Allied and German – as well as how and why the Nazis conquered the territory in Europe, maps showing the advances of the troops, where the Allies would land on the beaches of France and why, as well as how the Allies created an elaborate ruse with a fictitious Army unit to trick the Nazis.
“Poor weather was the worst problem,” Miller told the group. He also talked about how General Dwight Eisenhower, the supreme Allied commander, agonized over the invasion and the potentially high loss of life that could result.
The important role of paratroopers (airborne troops) also was explained by Miller. He used video clips and historic photos to illustrate his presentation. A display of flags from the various branches of the military and some World War II era uniforms were displayed on the stage.
After a question and answer session, Miller invited veterans in the audience onto the stage for a group photo.
The audience was invited to contact Tri-C to visit the Crile Archives, which collects, preserves and presents relevant artifacts to provide educational opportunities commemorating veterans’ battlefield and home front experiences. The archives are named in honor of Dr. George Washington Crile, an internationally renowned surgeon who served in World War I and the Spanish American War. A pioneer in military medicine, he also founded the Cleveland Clinic.
Tri-C is located on the former site of Crile General Hospital, dedicated in 1944. Later named Crile Veterans Hospital, it cared for veterans of World War II and the Korean conflict. Some German POWs also were housed there for a time.
The hospital, which once had 1,000 beds, closed in 1964 and relocated to a new facility in University Circle.
In 1966, the site became home to the newly created Tri-C Western Campus.