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The warm May sun shining as students at
Birches Elementary School gathered to remember a very special friend,
Raymond DePaola Jr. a World War II vet and recipient of the Purple
Heart.
Last November, Mr. DePaola visited Birches School as part of its
Veteran's Day activities and talked to the children about his
experiences of 50 years ago in the U. S. Army.
Mr. DePaola's love of life and country left the children with a new
understanding of what it meant to serve your nation as a soldier.
In Birches School Courtyard, those same children gathered six months
later to pay tribute to this fallen hero, who died three weeks after visiting
the school. The children chose to plant a tree in his honor.
The students were deeply moved by Mr. DePaola's stories and words of encouragement,' said
Ms. Bettiann Young, the teacher at Birches who organized the dedication.
"They were also saddened to learn that he passed away in December.
"The children wanted to find a special way to show their respect
and appreciation to Mr. DePaola," she said. "Every year
we celebrate Arbor Day at Birches School by remembering someone who was
important to us.
"The students decided to dedicate a tree in Mr. DePaola's memory
and we were pleased that so many of his family members could be here
with us," said Ms. Young.
Mr. DePaola was a resident of Washington Township for 18 years.
He served in the Army from 1940 to 1945, fighting in North Africa, Sicily,
Italy, France, Belgium and Germany. He landed on Omaha Beach in
Normandy on June 12, 1944, was wounded three times, and received the
Purple Heart.
He worked as a civilian employee for 30 years the Naval Air
Engineering Center at the Philadelphia Naval Base and was a member of
the Disabled American Vets and the Federal Employees Veterans Association.
Note: In addition a plaque memorializing the
'dedication' was mounted in the school lobby.
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