LAFAYETTE, Ind. >> A high-school student raised money so a World War II Navy veteran who told her class about his experiences at Pearl Harbor could visit Hawaii again. Student helps get
WWII vet back to islesAssociated Press
"I still feel embarrassed about this. All my life, nobody has done anything for me, and I just assumed they never would," 79-year-old Vince Amato, of Lafayette, said Monday.
Jefferson High School junior Ashley Gillam, 17, raised $2,200 for the trip after Amato spoke to her history class at the school recently.
Amato was aboard the USS Maryland on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese aircraft attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
The Maryland was hit, but did not sink, and Amato helped fight fires on the USS West Virginia. He served in the Navy until August 1945.
Amato told students he had never been able to afford a return trip to Hawaii. Gillam discussed a fund-raiser with her teacher, and quickly collected about $750 in donations from the school.
Donors provided the remainder of the $2,000 needed for the trip after a story appeared in a local newspaper.
Gillam said any excess money would be used to buy Amato a camcorder and clothes for the trip.
Amato said his daughter, who lives in Greenwood, Ind., would accompany him on the trip.