"Be the Difference - Never Again" highlights those who risked their lives to save others, inspiring us to take action in our lives. It begins with World War II and Holocaust stories and continues with stories of individuals who step in to help others.

book-it-happened-in-Italy-Elizabeth-Bettina

It Happened in Italy: Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust, laid the foundation for Be the Difference - Never Again, which highlights people and the impact of their actions. 
 
"If you are not indifferent - things can be different."
                                                                    Elizabeth Bettina
 
 
For more information about the book, please visit ithappenedinitaly.com

veterans stock exchange new york

REMEMBER THE ORIGINAL MEANING OF MEMORIAL DAY AND VETERANS DAY

See videos: American Students Discover a New Appreciation
of MEMORIAL DAY and VETERANS DAY

Over 200,000 Americans are buried at American Cemeteries Abroad*

In Rome: 7,858 are buried. 3,095 are Missing in Action. 10,953
In Florence: 4,383 are buried. 1,409 are Missing in Action. 5,792
Total Americans honored in Italy: 16,745

* Search ABMC Burials | American Battle Monuments Commission

These soldiers were asked to serve and LOST THEIR LIVES and never came home.

ACTION

The following organizations help our military, first responders and their families. Students who have participated in the "Be the Difference - Never Again" project have honored the memory of those buried in Italy by contributing to some of the following organizations:

The Fisher House Foundation builds “comfort homes” at military and VA medical centers, enabling family members of hospitalized military personnel to be present during treatment, saving military and veteran families more than $235 million in travel and lodging costs. Today there are more than  86 Fisher Houses across the country.

Homes for Our Troops is a privately funded nonprofit organization that builds mortgage-free, specially adapted homes nationwide for severely injured Post - 9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. The PBS series This Old House featured homes built for disabled veterans.

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is a leader in supporting the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families.  100% of donations go directly to the program. (The Board of Trustees of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund underwrites all administrative costs and no portion of contributions are deducted.)

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation builds mortgage-free smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. In addition, the foundation pays off the mortgages of military, law enforcement officers and firefighters and who lose their lives in the line of duty or to 9/11 related illness with young children.

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Learn about The National World War II Museum. It is designated as the official WWII museum of the United States. Visitors experience that time in history "from the industrial efforts on the home front to the combat experience of the American soldier abroad. It honors the "Greatest Generation".

Watch Debt of Honor the history of disabled veterans in the United States from the Revolutionary War to the present. It was directed and produced by Ric Burns as part of the PBS series "Stories of Service" and underwritten by Lois Pope.

  • Use your social media accounts to spread the word!

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TAKING IT A STEP FURTHER!

Learn About a Service Member choosing a name from the list and adding the name on your Facebook page, challenging all your friends on your Facebook page to do the same. You can also add the name of a family member or friend who served in World War II.

Consider doing this as a family activity and teach your children about the meaning of Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

We are providing websites that list information about individual service members, divided in two categories:

- Army and Army Air Forces
- Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard

To find out about a service member, you need to be a detective, putting pieces of a puzzle together, writing down information about an individual who served in WWII.

Start with:

- Name
- State
- City or County
- Branch of Service 

 

World War II Statistics

  • 405,399         Killed
  • 670,846         Wounded
  • 16,112,566    Served

Take Action

Please consider donating to the four not-for-profit foundations suggested that help veterans, their families and the WWII Museum. You can donate in the name of a service member that you learned about from the websites provided.

Students Thoughts...

I learned that every single headstone represents the life of an actual, ordinary person. I learned that each veteran has a unique and interesting story, even if we have very little or no information about the person.    (Katie Alexander)

 

Learning about the lives and deaths of these soldiers has inspired me with the desire to tell others about their impact on the war and essentially on the lives of American citizens... Taking the time to recognize, if only for a moment, one person and the value of their life is important.  (Brandon Rickett)

 

I learned that honoring soldiers is important so as to not forget their sacrifice, but also in order to raise awareness to keep horrors like the war from happening again. I also learned to value human life, as I feel like in wartime sometimes people become numbers and statistics, but they have stories.  (Alyssa Hoover)