SILENT HEROES PROGRAM
Mrs. Kim Henry and Mrs. Janet Kuszak from Loup City Public Schools, along with three students—Jaymeson Gappa, Paige Stanczyk, and Brogan Setlik—traveled to the Nebraska Veterans Home Cemetery in Grand Island on Sunday, April 6th, to participate in the Silent Hero program. At the cemetery, the students read the eulogies of two Korean War veterans—United States Army Specialist Sixth Class Howard G. “Hap” Isbrandtsen and U.S. Navy Metal Smith Petty Officer Second Class George Marvin Kamper. The veterans’ families and friends were in attendance, plus District 41 State Senator Dan McKeon. Randy Lonowski, Director of the Grand Island Veterans Cemetery, assisted in coordinating this event.
This was part of the newest Silent Heroes program, Untold Stories from the Korean War, sponsored by a grant from the Veterans Legacy Program at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Last fall, selected teachers partnered with almost 600 students to research the lives of nearly 100 individuals who served in the United States military during the Korean War era, continued to serve their community, and are currently buried or memorialized in a United States national or state veterans’ cemetery. The veteran profiles will be cross-listed on the National History Day Silent Heroes website and the Veterans Legacy Memorial.
