Veterans and Students Travel to Washington, DC, for ‘Operation United’

Last week, 13 Melrose veterans and 14 middle school students who were part of the Operation United group traveled to Washington, DC, to visit the veterans’ monuments and pay their respects to a Melrose soldier who died in World War II. The trip was organized by the Melrose Veterans Services Office and the Melrose Veterans Services Advisory Board. Melrose Veterans Services Officer Karen Burke, former VSO Ryan McLane, and Veterans Advisory Board Chair Bob Driscoll were on the trip, as was Lisa Lord, who coordinates the educational activities for the trip; she and her students were documenting the trip for the Melrose Veterans Memory Project.

While previous trips have focused on specific groups of veterans, Melrose High School teacher Lisa Lord, who is the coordinator for the student group, said that this year’s focus was on unity. “It was open to veterans of all service branches and eras, because the goal was to focus on what we have in common,” she said, “So the slogan for the trip was ‘One team, one fight.’”

The Operation United students did biographical sketches of the veterans on the trip, which they presented on the bus ride down to DC. They also each researched a Melrose resident who was killed in action in World War II and presented that person’s biography at the World War II monument in DC.

This year’s bus trip included several new elements, including a stop at the American Veterans Disabled for Life memorial and a visit to the National Guard Museum.

“Every trip is a little bit different,” said Lord. “Even if we go to the same monuments, we have a different group of kids and a different group of veterans, so there is always going to be a unique element.” What set this trip apart, Lord said, was that from the first meet-and-greet event in April, the students and the veterans really hit it off. “It seemed to flow so naturally,” she said. Another unique element: One of the veterans did a magic show at the hotel. “He wanted to do something to give back to the kids,” Lord said. “The kids absolutely loved it, and I think it was a great way for the students to see another side of the veterans.”

One of the stops on the tour was a visit to the grave of Lt. David McMurray, a Melrose resident who was killed in action in 1944. McMurray’s plane went down over Germany, and he and the eight other members of the crew were listed as missing in action, presumed dead, until their remains were discovered by a group of German citizens in 2001. McMurray and several of his crewmates were buried in Arlington cemetery in 2008. 

“We planned the trip so we could go and visit his grave,” Lord said. “Karen talked to the kids a little bit about the tradition of leaving coins on the stones, and what different coins meant, and we invited all the participants to leave a penny on his stone, which indicated someone whom he may not have known was there to remember him. As we walked away, Ryan came over to me and said ‘I need to tell you what I just heard: One of the kids turned to another of the kids and said “I hope his family sees the picture of all the pennies on the stone and those who remembered him.’” You can’t plan those moments, you can’t script those moments, but those are the moments when you know that they get it, that it’s not about just seeing monuments and taking pictures. Those are the moments where you realize that they understand the importance of what they just did.”

You can see more photos from the trip at the Melrose Veterans Memory Project Facebook page.