Local veterans tell their stories
By Jill Davis and Haley Marshall

Dennis Driscoll, Brian Knuuttilla, Emily Mahoney, Dave Hillbrook, Ted Caisse, Ali Anderson, Ken Haenisch, Al Hart, and Tim Masson stand after a presentation to students.

Veterans Day is a time for remembering some of the strongest, toughest, most important heroes we have in our lives.

What better way to understand what these people do than to listen to their stories, experiences and advice in person?

On Thursday, Nov. 9, six men in uniform sat in front of an audience of students and teachers at Oakmont Regional High School. Robert McGowan, a history teacher at the high school, invited local veterans Brian Knuuttila, Al Hart, David Hillbrook, Ken Haenisch, Ted Caisse and Dennis Driscoll to share their insight on what Veterans Day is really all about. Each of them told positive stories about their times in various services and agreed that the military is a learning experience that taught them many important lessons.

"Really what people are fighting for are their fellow men," Hillbrook said.

Hillbrook is a Marine Corps veteran. He was served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, after attending Cushing Academy.

Driscoll, the former assistant principal at Overlook Middle School, said he enlisted after receiving a draft notice from the Army. He also served in Vietnam, where he earned three Purple Heart medals.

"Regardless of your religion, your race, your faith ... you're in it together," he said of the bonding between soldiers.

It was a valuable experience for the students to be able to hear the men's opinions about what they did as soldiers, giving an inside view to often misunderstood ideas.

Hart served in the Army Signal Corps between 1949-1953, specifically serving in Korea for 100 days in 1951.

"Not all experiences in the service are bad," he said.

Haenisch is a 1964 graduate of Oakmont and served in the Airforce during Vietnam. He entered the service after getting drafted.

"It was just something you kind of had to accept," he said.

Even more beneficial were their thoughts on life.

Caisse, who served in the Army for 20 years, said he'd rather not talk about the combat he experienced, instead, he told funny stories and shared some words of wisdom, most importantly to "enjoy life while you can."

Instead of regular classes, some teachers took their students to the assembly to learn a different type lesson, one that students felt books or handouts could not have taught.

At the end of the assembly, the veterans took questions from the audience. The veterans stressed the importance of a good education.

A couple of them were Oakmont graduates or had children who went through the school system, and shared memories of Oakmont in its first years. The students, looking back from the seats in the auditorium, were engaged, and one could tell from the speakers' laughter and good humor that everyone was glad to be there.

"When I was around, no one knew who Oakmont was," Haenisch said. "Now I come back - Oakmont's on the map, and boy it feels good to come here."

- + - Both Jill Davis and Haley Marshall are juniors at Oakmont Regional High School.