YORKTOWN — A Grafton High School teacher will be taking students to Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk on Friday to read the eulogies of two Korean War veterans.
It was announced in November that history teacher Andrew Abeyounis was selected by National History Day to research stories of Korean War veterans.
“Untold Stories from the Korean War,” sponsored by a grant from the Veterans Legacy Program at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, offers teachers the opportunity to research Korean War veterans.
According to National History Day, selected teachers have partnered with almost 600 students to research the lives of nearly 100 individuals who served in the U.S. military during the Korean War era, continued to serve their community and are currently buried or memorialized in a U.S. National or state Veterans Cemetery. The program prioritizes identifying underrepresented and untold stories.
Abeyounis chose to research U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Raymond Nevarro Armstead and U.S. Marine Corps Private First Class Angel Luis Rivera.
Abeyounis and his students met monthly with a historian from George Mason University to study the Korean War and learn more about the experiences of underrepresented veterans.
Guided by eight research mentors, participants had the opportunity to use NHD-created materials to leverage databases such as Ancestry Classroom, Fold3 and Newspapers.com to research the lives and service of their selected veterans. Connecting with local libraries and historical societies, teams learn more about the communities where the veterans and their families lived.
Finally, teams analyze Official Military Personnel Files requested from the National Personnel Records Center. After conducting their research, teams synthesize the information to tell the story of their veteran’s life and service with a profile published on the Veterans Legacy Memorial and NHD’s Silent Heroes website.
After the teachers and students research their chosen veterans’ lives, military service, and contributions to their communities, student-teacher teams visit their local national cemetery to honor their veterans and read eulogies at their graves. Abeyounis will take his team to Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery on Friday, March 28 to read the eulogies of their two chosen veterans.
In addition to the profiles cross-listed on the NHD Silent Heroes website and the Veterans Legacy Memorial, NHD will also select 50 profiles and add video eulogies for the veterans.
The 48 teachers selected for this program represent 35 states and 45 U.S. National Cemeteries.
To learn more about the Veterans Legacy Program, visit cem.va.gov.