Time with veterans

Students at Orange Coast Middle College High School in Costa Mesa learned military history first-hand Friday, with a visit from veterans of several wars, including World War II and Vietnam.

Battle of the Bay?

Student Haylie Roberts’ grandfather, Cliff Roberts, spoke of his experiences in World War II.

“To be an American is the most wonderful thing in the world,” he said.

Before serving on the cruiser USS Reno, Roberts recalled traveling in a boat across the San Francisco Bay to see the ship being built.

Suddenly there was a shot across the bow; Roberts and his colleagues realized they were being fired at by Army personnel.

The confusion soon cleared, but the memory lingered, Roberts said.

“So that was the battle of San Francisco Bay,” he told the laughing students at Middle College.

Later, the Reno was torpedoed by Japanese planes, he recalled. The entire crew evacuated the ship and was required to hold onto a line until their rescuers picked them up.

“I was the last one rescued,” he said; he held the line for about an hour and a half in the cold ocean before he was taken in.

Peacekeeping abroad

Don Maher, who tutors at Middle College today, served in the Navy and the Reserves from 1949 to 1979.

He said serving in the military was an excellent way for him to learn, travel and work off his education; the Navy sent him to USC for four years to study electrical engineering.

The most action he saw was when his group shot at drones they didn’t realize they were supposed to protect, he said.

He then began a long career at Hughes, developing and teaching about radar technology.

“It was just a long, interesting experience,” Maher said.

He encouraged students considering college to also consider a stint in the military.

Battlefield: Vietnam

For David Smith, who was drafted in 1970, his experience was derided at first but ultimately appreciated.

“I don’t speak in front of any size group ever, especially on this particular topic,” Smith said. “I don’t look at it as much as being a veteran as being part of a country.”

After getting out of the first draft cycle in 1969, he found himself No. 28 on the list of the 1970 draft lottery, and was shipped to Vietnam. He was 20.

“You really get involved at that level without knowing the big picture,” he said. “At a very young age, you are given huge responsibility.”

Smith performed memorable tasks like throwing grenades and firing machine guns, but soon contracted malaria, he said, and was sent to recuperate in Colorado.

Smith said the experience was one of the most formative of his life; he learned teamwork and focus.

“That helped me through countless times of my life,” he said.

The end is a beginning

Middle College is a tiny school made up of about 34 12th-grade students that allows them to earn college credit while enrolled at the school, located on the Orange Coast College campus.

The school is in its final year of existence, so students like Associated Student Body President Samantha Smith, 17, are seeking to make it as memorable as possible for its last graduating class.

“We’re a really close group of kids,” Sam said. “We want everyone to be as involved as possible.”

History teacher Stephen Harper encouraged the students to commemorate their Veteran’s Day vacation day every year with more than a trip to the mall or the beach.

“Our country has fought a lot of wars,” he told them. “We don’t want to forget any of those wars. All I ask is, at the very least, that you think about veterans on Wednesday.”