Lindsey Lou
05-27-04, 04:00 PM
Dave Liccione understands the history of war. He teaches it. His own father lived it.
So when he arrives for cl[arse] Friday morning at Oak Creek High School, he hopes to have done his part to help others remember the sacrifices of veterans as well as active soldiers, he said.
Liccione, 42, will trek 20 miles overnight from his home in Whitefish Bay to the high school, gathering pledges for the proposed Oak Creek Veterans Memorial.
"I might be tired, sleepy, but it's a good cause," said Liccione, who vows to teach his U.S. history and government cl[arse]es the next day.
"The soldiers do this all the time, march many miles with no sleep and no food. I will hope I can gut it out. If I have to crawl, I will do it," he said.
Money that Liccione raises will augment proceeds from high school fund-raisers toward the purchase of granite benches for the memorial. The school has pledged to raise $5,775.
The memorial is depicted in sketches with five granite sides, each 6 feet high and 2 feet wide, representing branches of the military. Six-foot-long sidewalks will lead from the monument to granite benches. A mural nearby is planned.
Organizers hope to begin construction at the site, outside the city's Fire Station No. 3 at S. 6th St. and W. Rawson Ave., in early June, and finish by November.
Gene Gosline, chairman of the Oak Creek Veterans Memorial Committee, said about $15,600 in cash has been raised so far. We Energies has donated another $4,000, which paid for six flags and flag poles. Other recent donations include $12,500 worth of lighting and accessories from Appleton Electric Co. in South Milwaukee, and $3,000 from Master Lock Co. in Oak Creek.
The project still needs $19,000. Upcoming fund-raisers include a spaghetti dinner, a poker run and a family triathlon, scheduled for Sept. 11.
Oak Creek High School Principal Kathy Jorgenson said students have responded well to raising money for the memorial, with activities such as a Student Council dance, a rock concert, a lock-in for the middle school, a table tennis tournament and a bake sale. Teachers have also donated.
School officials hope Liccione's walk will put them over the top.
"We feel it's an important character education trait that our students understand loyalty, patriotism, sacrifice, putting others above self," Jorgenson said. "I'm very proud of how our kids have responded."
Liccione said he's received about $500 in pledges so far, but he wants far more.
His father, John Liccione of Hales Corners, was wounded in France in 1944 while serving in the Army. He was 18 years old when he was shot in the chest and legs, injuries that hospitalized him for nine months.
John Liccione, 78, has pledged $30 to his son's walk, which, he said, "reminds me of the final hike we took in basic training where we started out at 10 o'clock at night and hiked all night long till 7 in the morning."
This is so interesting. This is a teacher from my brothers school :)
So when he arrives for cl[arse] Friday morning at Oak Creek High School, he hopes to have done his part to help others remember the sacrifices of veterans as well as active soldiers, he said.
Liccione, 42, will trek 20 miles overnight from his home in Whitefish Bay to the high school, gathering pledges for the proposed Oak Creek Veterans Memorial.
"I might be tired, sleepy, but it's a good cause," said Liccione, who vows to teach his U.S. history and government cl[arse]es the next day.
"The soldiers do this all the time, march many miles with no sleep and no food. I will hope I can gut it out. If I have to crawl, I will do it," he said.
Money that Liccione raises will augment proceeds from high school fund-raisers toward the purchase of granite benches for the memorial. The school has pledged to raise $5,775.
The memorial is depicted in sketches with five granite sides, each 6 feet high and 2 feet wide, representing branches of the military. Six-foot-long sidewalks will lead from the monument to granite benches. A mural nearby is planned.
Organizers hope to begin construction at the site, outside the city's Fire Station No. 3 at S. 6th St. and W. Rawson Ave., in early June, and finish by November.
Gene Gosline, chairman of the Oak Creek Veterans Memorial Committee, said about $15,600 in cash has been raised so far. We Energies has donated another $4,000, which paid for six flags and flag poles. Other recent donations include $12,500 worth of lighting and accessories from Appleton Electric Co. in South Milwaukee, and $3,000 from Master Lock Co. in Oak Creek.
The project still needs $19,000. Upcoming fund-raisers include a spaghetti dinner, a poker run and a family triathlon, scheduled for Sept. 11.
Oak Creek High School Principal Kathy Jorgenson said students have responded well to raising money for the memorial, with activities such as a Student Council dance, a rock concert, a lock-in for the middle school, a table tennis tournament and a bake sale. Teachers have also donated.
School officials hope Liccione's walk will put them over the top.
"We feel it's an important character education trait that our students understand loyalty, patriotism, sacrifice, putting others above self," Jorgenson said. "I'm very proud of how our kids have responded."
Liccione said he's received about $500 in pledges so far, but he wants far more.
His father, John Liccione of Hales Corners, was wounded in France in 1944 while serving in the Army. He was 18 years old when he was shot in the chest and legs, injuries that hospitalized him for nine months.
John Liccione, 78, has pledged $30 to his son's walk, which, he said, "reminds me of the final hike we took in basic training where we started out at 10 o'clock at night and hiked all night long till 7 in the morning."
This is so interesting. This is a teacher from my brothers school :)