Monday Message: 5/27/2024

Dear PYLUSD Community,

As a young man growing up in Seal Beach, I was always an avid student of world history, being the son of a Vietnam Veteran in a family with a history of military service, while being raised next to the US Naval Weapons station. I grew up and went to school with many children of servicemen and women and was taught to take great pride in our country.

As a high school student, I also enjoyed literature tremendously. Some of my favorites included Catcher in the Rye, Huckleberry Finn, and The Great Gatsby. I attribute much of my scholarly success to not only these novels, but to the amazing English teachers who guided me through the human trials and tribulations of characters like Holden Caulfield, Huck Finn, and Jay Gatsby.

While I truly loved the classics involving US historical fiction, the most impactful book I ever read was a non-fiction book. As a young college graduate from UCSB, I inherited a private library of historical non-fiction books from my grandmother’s late husband Lee Lyon. These books were amazing; harkening back to Ancient Greece, detailing the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, expounding art and philosophy from the Ming Dynasty, and truly archiving the last 5,000-plus years of human history.

One day while perusing this vast collection I came across a book that forever changed my life. It was titled, United States of America's Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients: And Their Official Citations.

I sat for hours, overcome with emotions of awe, grief, and pride as I read many of the harrowing and heroic stories of the 3,517 Medal of Honor recipients in the history of our country. While these were not the fictional stories I had grown accustomed to, these acts of valor read like something out of a superhero comic.

The book included stories of the likes of:

James Anderson, Jr.

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, 2d Platoon, Company F, 2d Battalion, 3d Marines, 3d Marine Division. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 28 February 1967.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Company F was advancing in dense jungle northwest of Cam Lo in an effort to extract a heavily besieged reconnaissance patrol. Private First Class Anderson's platoon was the lead element and had advanced only about 200 meters when they were brought under extremely intense enemy small-arms and automatic weapons fire. The platoon reacted swiftly, getting on line as best they could in the thick terrain, and began returning fire. Private First Class Anderson found himself tightly bunched together with the other members of the platoon only 20 meters from the enemy positions. As the fire fight continued several of the men were wounded by the deadly enemy assault. Suddenly, an enemy grenade landed in the midst of the marines and rolled alongside Private First Class Anderson's head. Unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his personal safety, he reached out, grasped the grenade, pulled it to his chest and curled around it as it went off. Although several marines received shrapnel from the grenade, his body absorbed the major force of the explosion. In this singularly heroic act, Private First Class Anderson saved his comrades from serious injury and possible death. His personal heroism, extraordinary valor, and inspirational supreme self-sacrifice reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Stanley Bender

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near La Lande, France, 17 August 1944.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 17 August 1944, near La Lande, France, he climbed on top of a knocked-out tank, in the face of withering machinegun fire which had halted the advance of his company, in an effort to locate the source of this fire. Although bullets ricocheted off the turret at his feet, he nevertheless remained standing upright in full view of the enemy for over 2 minutes. Locating the enemy machineguns on a knoll 200 yards away, he ordered 2 squads to cover him and led his men down an irrigation ditch, running a gauntlet of intense machinegun fire, which completely blanketed 50 yards of his advance and wounded 4 of his men. While the Germans hurled hand grenades at the ditch, he stood his ground until his squad caught up with him, then advanced alone, in a wide flanking approach, to the rear of the knoll. He walked deliberately a distance of 40 yards, without cover, in full view of the Germans and under a hail of both enemy and friendly fire, to the first machinegun and knocked it out with a single short burst. Then he made his way through the strong point, despite bursting hand grenades, toward the second machinegun, 25 yards distant, whose 2-man crew swung the machinegun around and fired two bursts at him, but he walked calmly through the fire and, reaching the edge of the emplacement, dispatched the crew. Signaling his men to rush the rifle pits, he then walked 35 yards further to kill an enemy rifleman and returned to lead his squad in the destruction of the 8 remaining Germans in the strong point. His audacity so inspired the remainder of the assault company that the men charged out of their positions, shouting and yelling, to overpower the enemy roadblock and sweep into town, knocking out 2 antitank guns, killing 37 Germans and capturing 26 others. He had sparked and led the assault company in an attack which overwhelmed the enemy, destroying a roadblock, taking a town, seizing intact 3 bridges over the Maravenne River, and capturing commanding terrain which dominated the area.

Donald M. Call

Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, 344th Battalion, Tank Corps. Place and date: Near Varennes, France, 26 September 1918

Citation: During an operation against enemy machinegun nests west of Varennes, Corporal. Call was in a tank with an officer when half of the turret was knocked off by a direct artillery hit. Choked by gas from the high-explosive shell, he left the tank and took cover in a shellhole 30 yards away. Seeing that the officer did not follow, and thinking that he might be alive, Corporal. Call returned to the tank under intense machinegun and shell fire and carried the officer over a mile under machinegun and sniper fire to safety.

I have lived by the notion that actions speak louder than words, and the actions of all of our fallen heroes are who we honor on this Memorial Day 2024. They are truly our superheroes!

As a way to give back, I will personally purchase this book for the first handful of parents who respond to this message and who wish to give to their children what was given to me. It is my hope that your children may read and recognize the tremendous sacrifices these heroes have made for our freedom.

Respectfully,

Dr. Alex Cherniss

Superintendent of Schools

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District

Putting Kids First

acherniss@pylusd.org

May 27, 2024 — Memorial Day (Non-Student Day)

June 4, 2024 — Board of Education Meeting

June 13, 2024 — Last Day of the 2023-2024 School Year

June 18, 2024 — Board of Education Meeting