Navy veteran shares World War ll experiences with Booker T. Washington High School students

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - Students at Booker T. Washington High School connected with 101-year-old Navy veteran Judge Steve Ellis via Zoom on Friday.

History teacher Amanda Dixon first met Ellis at the World War II Museum in New Orleans six weeks ago. She immediately thought of her students.

“The opportunity for that is dwindling as this generation passes away so that’s how I came up with the idea. I knew the interaction with him for my students would be valuable for them their whole life,” Dixon said.

Students submitted questions last week and asked 10 of them during class Friday morning.

“Was there ever a time where you thought you may not make it home?” asked a teacher.

“I never thought… expected to be killed. The Japanese had several opportunities and failed to take advantage of it but it never occurred to me that I wouldn’t make it home,” Ellis said.

“I was wondering if you were ever disappointed missing things that other people your age were doing,” asked a student.

“Other people my age were all in the service. Everybody went unless you were physically disabled you went so there wasn’t any question of me missing out on anything because all of the guys who would have been doing it were with me,” Ellis said.

Freshman Markes Shoemaker Jr. said he was blown away by the experience.

“That’s like a century of information in one person. It’s really amazing because a lot of people might not have an opportunity like this because there’s not that many people who have made it from World War II,” Shoemaker said.

Veteran urges students to value freedom

Shoemaker asked Ellis what message he would pass on to current and future generations.

“It is your obligation to value freedom. You have to learn to value these things. Learn to exercise your prerogative. Vote. Get other people to vote,” Ellis said.

Students and the teacher said that message left a lasting impression.

“I wanted something that I could tell somebody else, and they could tell somebody else and that could continue for years, centuries,” Shoemaker said.

Dixon said she hopes students take his message to heart.

“I also hope that they will heed his suggestion to vote. That’s something I push in my classes, I don’t push an agenda or who you should vote for or which way you should vote but I like the idea of everyone being politically active,” Dixon said.