COLLEGE PARK, MD – November 10, 2025 – In honor of Veterans Day and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps, National History Day® (NHD) is proud to announce the teachers selected for its newest Silent Heroes® program, Untold Stories from the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II, sponsored by a grant from the Veterans Legacy Program at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Snyder Junior High is proud to be one of only three schools in Texas selected to participate in National History Day’s Silent Heroes program, Untold Stories from the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II. Mrs. Heather McCormick, Mrs. Judy Garza, and Mr. Kelly Moore will guide students as they research and honor the lives of six World War II Veterans who served in the Marine Corps and are interred at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Abilene:
Sergeant Robert Edward Arnold
Corporal Otto Byrns (O.B.) Freeman, Jr.
Captain Gordon Harris Gray
Corporal Benjamin Frank Schwartz
Corporal James “Coach” Stanley Suba
Corporal Willis Merritt Zinn
Across the nation, selected teachers will partner with their students to research the lives of over 100 Veterans who served during World War II, continued to serve their community after returning home, and are currently buried or memorialized in a U.S. national or state Veterans cemetery.
Teachers and students will meet monthly with historian Christopher Hamner, Ph.D., of George Mason University to study the history of the Marine Corps, World War II, and the experience of Veterans who returned to their communities. Guided by eight research mentors, participants will use NHD-created materials and other resources such as Ancestry Classroom, Fold3, Newspapers.com, local libraries and historical societies, and Official Military Personnel Files requested from the National Personnel Records Center. After conducting their research, teams will synthesize the information to tell the story of their Veteran’s life and service with a profile published on the Veterans Legacy Memorial and NHD’s Silent Heroes website. See a sample Silent Hero profile here from NHD’s 2024/2025 program, focusing on Korean War-era Veterans.
“On Veterans Day, we recognize all Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. I am very proud of the teachers and students researching World War II Veterans who served in the Marine Corps through a grant funded by the Veterans Legacy Program,” said Cathy Gorn, Ph.D., Executive Director of National History Day. “Studying local history and giving a voice to the stories of Veterans is some of the most powerful work students and teachers can do with National History Day.”
After the teachers and students research their chosen Veterans’ lives, military service, and contributions to their communities this fall, student-teacher teams will visit their local national cemetery in spring 2026 to honor their Veterans and read eulogies at their graves. In addition to the digital profiles, NHD will produce video eulogies for the Veterans. See a sample NHD-produced video eulogy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WwBBVKg-64).
Their stories will be researched this fall and honored with published profiles and eulogies this spring.