On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, Algona High School student, Isabelle Gibbs, and history teacher, Brian Connick, touched down in Honolulu, Hawaii. While Hawaii is a place for relaxing beach days, they had different plans.
In December of 2019, Gibbs and Connick had been selected for this trip by the National History Day Program. They were chosen out of 200 other people from all around the U.S. to represent the Algona Community School District. In order to qualify for this opportunity, Gibbs had to write an essay telling about history and why this trip would be important to her. “For me, the essay revolved around how, as coming from a veteran background, I have a very deep respect for what they did and I want to learn more. Knowing the sacrifice that even people in my family have been through, I can only imagine the sacrifice it is to give your life serving the country, and so those men and women deserve to be heard,” stated Gibbs.
On December 18, Gibbs got the news that she had been selected for this amazing opportunity. With her excitement, she started researching Private William G. Turner. The selected students had been sent books for an essay they would be writing; all of the students were put into an online classroom together as a chance to get to know one another. Gibbs said that she made lifelong friendships through this great opportunity.
The trip was originally planned for the summer of 2020, but it had to be pushed back to December due to the world wide pandemic. Shortly after, the December trip was pushed back to the summer of 2021. Most students selected for this trip thought they would not be able to attend due to the continual pushing back of the date. However, teachers and students selected were able to go in June of 2021.
When they first arrived in Hawaii, they got to meet the other classmates and ate dinner at the Waikiki Yacht Club. The first official day was spent learning about Hawaiian culture and WWII. They attended Iolani Palace and the Fort DeRussy Army Museum. After the adventure through these landmarks, they hiked the Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail.
The next day they attended the Pearl Harbor National Monument and the Arizona Memorial. They got to eat lunch on the USS Bowfin. After their meal, they toured the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum and the USS Bowfin, participating in WWII learning activities with Dr. Gorn and Ms. O’Hara. The evening ended with the opportunity to eat on the USS Missouri and spend the night in the bunkers on the ship.
After waking and eating breakfast on the USS Missouri, they toured Ford Island. This consisted of looking at memorials, Hangar 6, and the sea ramp. Shortly after, they toured the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.
On Sunday, students and teachers visited the Hickman Air Force Base and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. They listened to lectures from Dr. Frank Bailey, who taught them about Hawaiian culture, and Dr. Mitch Yamasaki, who taught them about the illegal warfare that was used during war. The group also listened in on a presentation from Nate Gyotoku, who talked about the Internment camps that were in Hawaii that held thousands of Chinese Americans.
On the last day, students visited the Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Isabelle gave a speech about a William G. Turner, who was from Algona and had gotten deployed into the Navy. Turner’s first day of active service was the morning of Pearl Harbor; the men who were stationed there had no idea what was about to happen. The morning was beautiful, several soldiers mentioned seeing the sun rising from the side of the mountains. Turner and his sergeant, Emily Peters, were in Ewamooreing field when the bombings began. There was a dive bomber that Turner noticed was in very bad shape. Turner and Peters decided that his cockpit was still able to be used, putting more of their men in danger. They grabbed weapons and ammunition and started shooting Chinese dive bombers. This decision put Turner and Peters’ lives in great danger. Turner was seriously wounded. A few days after this tragic incident, Turner and Peters both lost their lives. Isabelle wants to make sure people know this story because these people, and a million others, risked their lives to save the lives of all of us. Turner was buried in Hawaii, but his family lived in Iowa, so Isabelle was very touched she got to represent him and share his story. She brought the United States flag and a homemade lay and laid it on his grave. “I hoped that I could be his little piece of Iowa,” Isabelle stated. Being so far from home, and his family is no longer alive, Isabelle felt touched that she made him feel a little bit at home for one day.
The next day the group departed the island and headed home. Connick and Gibbs thought this was a great experience and highly recommend it. While there, Connick and Gibbs learned about the Hawaiian culture and the role that the Island of Oahu played in World War II and the Pearl Harbor attacks. They learned about the Hawaiian people and the history behind the island. Gibbs states, “This gave us some background on the land we were on and the people who had been there. It was really a great experience.”