The Hebronian December 2009 Page 1 Volume 8, Issue 3 ... - Gulemo

On November 10, the almost
700 students and staff at Hebron
Elementary School honored 60
local veterans for their service to
our country.
The event was planned and organized
by Principal Kevin Hanlon,
Assistant Principal Vonda Tencza,
and Secretary Jan Tuttle. Veterans
represented all five branches of the
military; 5 staff members in the elementary
district are also veterans.
The activities began with veterans
going to individual classrooms, relating
some memories about their
time in the service, and answering
many questions from the children.
Hebron Elementary Hosts “Bring A Vet to School” Day
Sgt. Ronald Parkyn, U. S. Marine Corps, visited Mrs. Betty
Chrostowsky’s fourth grade class, where he told the students about
attending boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. “[We] came
rolling in at night on a bus, and life was not the same for the next two
months,” he said. “We were called names like ‘Mud’ and ‘Pig’ and other
names not mentionable. There’s no fooling around in the military.
You’re told what to do all the time; there’s no such thing as free time.”
Hands were raised throughout Parkyn’s talk, with the children asking
questions ranging from the quality of food to how the Marines dealt
with women in the ranks. He explained that during that period of
time, men and women were kept totally separate and that women did
not serve in combat positions.
Sgt. Jeff Lafleur attended Mrs. Jennifer King’s class where his son,
Gavin, is a student. Lafleur served in the U.S. Army Military Police
Former VietNam Marine Ronald Parkyn answered many questions about
daily life in the military from students in Mrs. Chrostowsky’s 4th grade
class. All photos by Donna McCalla.
Following the individual classroom sessions, the
students and veterans gathered in the school’s auditorium,
where Principal Hanlon gave opening
remarks. He then introduced Lt. Col. Thomas J.
Sousa, Jr., who gave a brief history of each branch
of the military. The U.S. Army, formed in 1775,
is the largest branch; 36% of all military personnel
belong to the Army. Also formed in 1775 were
the U.S. Navy (23% of all military) and the U.S.
Marines (23% of all military). Formed in 1790,
continued on page 15
in Saudia Arabia and Iraq. Lafleur
talked about the rigors of the specialized
training required for his
job, which took place at Fort Mc-
Clellan, Alabama, including such
things as 18-mile marches. Like
Parkyn, Lafleur was flooded with
questions from the eager students.
When asked if he wished he hadn’t
enlisted, Lafleur responded, “Sure,
many times. The food wasn’t very
good, we had to take cold showers,
and it was never fun to get up at
4:00 in the morning. But at the
same time, I met many good people
from around the world and being in
the military was a good experience
for me.”
Hebron Center Dentistry
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Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Thomas J. Sousa
stands in perfect posture for the Pledge of Allegiance,
hand over heart. Sousa then gave a
brief history of the various military branches and
introduced Hebron’s veterans one at a time.
James Bussiere D.M.D.
20 Liberty Drive
Hebron, CT
860.228.7878
Sgt. Jeff Lafleur, U. S. Army Military Police, told
Mrs. King’s 4th grade class there are two ways to
honor veterans: tell them “thank you for your
service” or do something nice -- and out of the
ordinary -- for others. LaFleur’s son Gavin is a
member of Mrs. King’s class.
The Hebronian December 2009 Page 14
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