CLEVELAND — In Samantha "Sam" Schaedler’s 8th grade American History class at Brady Middle School in Pepper Pike, students are writing letters to veterans.
"I think those letters really hit home because it makes the veterans realize that we do care and we are so grateful for everything that they have done for us," Schaedler told 3News' Jay Crawford in a recent interview.
The effort is just one part of Schaedler’s commitment to giving back to those who’ve served - including her work with an organization called Honor Flight Cleveland. The local chapter is part of the National Honor Flight Network, established in 2005.
"It was established actually by two gentlemen from Ohio. One had a father that fought in World War II and he desperately wanted to take his father to the World War II Memorial," she explained. "He thought, well, every veteran should have that opportunity to see the memorial that was created for them in honor of them. And this idea just blossomed."
To date, Honor Flight Cleveland has worked with nearly 4,000 veterans in Northeast Ohio, providing a free trip from Cleveland to Washington, DC to visit the memorials honoring their service. Their touching, and often emotional experiences are shared with pride on the group’s Facebook page.
"The entire day is very emotional and it's such a special day for our veterans," Schaedler reflected. "A memory I will carry with me forever... was a Vietnam vet, and as we got off the plane back home in Cleveland, he said, we never received a welcome home. And he was in a wheelchair and I was wheeling him up the ramp and there were signs and bells and whistles and bagpipes and cheering for him. And that to me meant everything."
Schaedler acts as both a tour guide around the memorials and also as a “guardian” – or volunteer - assigned to each veteran on the trip. Veterans like Gene White, who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War.
"I was in Strategic Air Command and I was a tanker pilot," White told 3News Contributor Matt Kaulig. "Instead of going over and flying combat missions [in Vietnam]," I was based in Massachusetts, and we would go to Newfoundland and spend a week in an underground bunker up there in case we did go to war with Russia."
White heard about the program from some friends in his retirement community and ultimately decided to apply. He says he was impressed by how well-run and organized the program was, and grateful for the opportunity to see the monuments in such a personal way.
"That was one of the things that impressed me was the detail of the monuments. In my mind. I wanted to see the Korean War, and it lived up to expectations," he said.
White also happens to be the grandfather of one of Schaedler’s students -14 year old Emma, who tells 3News she was excited to realize her teacher was on the same flight as her Grandpa.
"It made me happy listening to him talk about it and knowing that he had fun on it. Even if he wasn't in combat, he still was really important and I want to know that. So I think it was really important that he went on the flight....Grandpa's inspiring."
And so is Schaedler, who finds many ways to share those lessons with her Orange City School District students, teaching the importance of honoring those who have served and sacrificed for our country.
"This really is a full circle event," she said. "And I feel like if this is my legacy of having our students... appreciate veterans and appreciate the sacrifices that they made and to show them the significance of this and the importance of honoring our veterans, I think that is definitely a legacy of 29 years [of teaching]."