Almost all of us have heard firsthand stories about the different ways we have paid the price to keep our nation safe and secure during times of calamity. The patriotism and security that brave veterans and servicemen demonstrated in serving the nation will never be forgotten.

In a small effort to honor the local veterans, the CCDS History Club invited Mr. Fleischmann to the Upper School. He shared a story about the World War II bomber pilots, John Leahr and Herb Heilbrun.  The students and teachers found his talk thought provoking and his style engaging.  I had the pleasure of meeting 98-year-old Herb and the author John at Lunken last year at a Veterans Day celebration and it was fascinating to hear them speak about their heroic combat missions during the War.

Mr. Fleischmann is the author of the book Black and White Airmen and a contributing editor for the Air and Space Smithsonian Magazine. He has been a Senior Science writer for both the American Society of Cell Biology and Harvard Medical School. In addition, he has been a Science Broadcaster at Boston’s public radio and a senior editor for the Yankee and Ohio Magazines.

We were also very fortunate to have Mr. Jeff Suess accept our invitation to talk to the Veterans and their families during the Veterans Day breakfast organized by the Middle School. The History Club members joined the Middle School community for the event and enjoyed learning about Cincinnati patriots.

Mr. Suess is the author of Lost Cincinnati, Hidden History of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Then and Now, and AAC 150, a history of the Art Academy of Cincinnati. He is the librarian at Cincinnati Enquirer, where Mr. Suess keeps the newspaper archives and continues to writes about Cincinnati’s history. He regularly does presentations about the local history and is an excellent resource to learn from given his wealth of knowledge. The success and positive learning outcomes from experienced speakers such as these men are only possible with the help of a strong school community like ours.