Vernon student earns Hawaii history trip

Aug. 23—VERNON — For Rockville High School senior Nic Angeli, history class is not just about memorizing dates — it's about being immersed in the bigger picture.

ALL EXPENSES PAID

WHAT: A student and teacher from Vernon were selected for a summer program that included an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii in order to learn about World War II history.

WHERE: The pair visited sites including Pearl Harbor and the grave of a Connecticut World War II veteran who is buried in Hawaii.

So when Angeli and his history teacher, Regina Lee, were selected for a summer program that included an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii in July to learn more about the Pacific theater of World War II, it was a dream come true.

The program, Sacrifice for Freedom, is run by National History Day and gives pairs of students and teachers a chance to visit historical sites in Hawaii related to World War II.

Because Angeli has been fascinated with this part of history for years, Lee said, she knew it would be perfect for him.

"I thought, oh my goodness, he has to apply for this with me," Lee said, adding, "This portion of history is his passion."

After a long application process involving essays, letters of recommendation, and resume submissions, Angeli and Lee learned in January that they were one of just 16 teams worldwide selected for the program.

Although the trip would be completely paid for, there was work leading up to it that had to be done. Angeli and Lee were required to complete seven months of course work together to learn more about World War II history in the Pacific.

"It was basically like having another class," Angeli said. He said he was assigned research based on a specific person, battle, or other event that happened during the time period in order to be prepared for the weeklong trip.

"Our whole week was designed to reinforce all that knowledge," Lee said. "The bonus is that after all that research and all that work, we got to go and explore the historic portions of Hawaii for a week for free."

Exploring Hawaii

After landing in Hawaii last month with the other students and teachers, Angeli and Lee were able to explore historic sites such as Pearl Harbor. While there, they visited the USS Arizona Memorial, paying respect to the nearly 1,000 sailors buried in the ship that sank after the 1941 attack on the harbor.

"It was very solemn, it was very sad ... but very beautiful, the kids were very respectful," Lee said.

Angeli said this particular stop helped him realize how much the sailors gave in order to uphold freedom.

"I already knew going into it that freedom isn't free, but being where so many people lost their lives, looking down at the Arizona ... really emphasized that," Angeli said.

In addition to visiting the memorial, the pair also spent a night sleeping on berths aboard the USS Missouri, which is moored in the harbor and was the ship where Japan signed the surrender to end the war.

"The whole thing was just amazing ... we saw so much of history," Lee said.

They also spent a storytelling afternoon with a native woman, who gave an impactful oral history of the children and families who lived near Pearl Harbor during the attack.

"A lot of the time, the civilian casualties of Pearl Harbor tend to be kind of forgotten about when you think about it," Angeli said, an aspect often overlooked in history classes.

"We always think of it as a military operation, but we forget that it's a place where military families and children live," Lee said. There was a school at Pearl Harbor on the navy base, not far from Honolulu, she noted.

Honoring fallen heroes

Another requirement of the trip was that the pair research the life of a Connecticut World War II veteran who is buried in Hawaii. For this, they chose U.S. Army Sgt. William G. Fournier, who hailed from Norwich and died at age 29 in 1943 during the Guadalcanal campaign in the Solomon Islands.

The pair decided on Fournier because they discovered he was awarded both a Medal of Honor and a Purple Heart for his actions during the war.

"We thought, obviously, he did something super brave," Lee said, adding that after months of research they put together Fournier's story and discovered his tragic upbringing.

"He was moved around from family member to family member," Lee said, and both his mother and aunt died when he was young and his father was not in his life. Lee described Fournier as "restless" until he found a home in the military.

Fournier died a hero when he and another soldier, Lewis Hall, manned a machine gun on a ridge called Sea Horse to fend off attacking Japanese soldiers, who had been overrunning American forces.

They both died from injuries sustained in the effort.

As part of their trip, Lee and Angeli visited Fournier's grave in Hawaii and gave a eulogy in addition to laying down flowers and flags, which they said they felt privileged to be able to do.

"Just the idea that we were able to go to this gravesite when his own family members never had a chance to go there ... I just felt very humbled by it," Lee said.

Reflecting on learning

Both Angeli and Lee believe the trip has highlighted for them that learning history is more than just memorizing dates and facts.

"The hands-on learning and everything was incredible. It's hard to explain, it's just like a feeling you get actually being there — it's just really emotional," Angeli said.

Rebecca Taber, director of the Connecticut History Day program, says programs like Sacrifice for Freedom are essential for inspiring people to learn history.

"It helps students have an opportunity for immersive experiences that really bring history to life and give folks an opportunity to experience that," Taber said.

"The program is not just memorizing a bunch of names and dates. It's about really jumping in and becoming historians," Taber said.

Angeli also believes that learning history this way can lead to valuable lessons for the future.

"It was cool, but at the same time it was really emotional to the point where, with things going on nowadays, it's kind of scary to think about how similar what happened back then is to what's happening now," Angeli said.

"It just puts it into perspective as to how much we need to seek diplomacy and peace because we can't ever have another thing like (World War II) ever happen. It just wouldn't end well for anybody," Angeli added.

Ben covers Vernon and Stafford for the Journal Inquirer.