WYTHEVILLE, Va. – As the number of World War II veterans continues to decline, students at Minnick Schools in Wytheville received a rare opportunity to hear firsthand accounts from 101-year-old veteran Rudolph Jennings.
Jennings served in the European Theater during World War II and later became a politician in West Virginia.
“Most of my time was fooling with machine guns and bombs,” Jennings said.
Now, he’s taking what he has learned throughout his life and passing it on to the next generation.
“They need to know that there is somebody else besides them. There is someone else they can look to,” Jennings said.
He said it’s simple.
“Love the Lord and love your neighbor,” said Jennings. “That’s the guideline for you. That way, if you do that, you’ll be honest and do a good job in whatever you do.”
Minnick Schools, which specializes in providing additional support for students who need extra help in the classroom, saw the visit as a huge opportunity.
The school’s assistant principal, Tracy Gibson, said Jennings’ visit can inspire the students for a brighter future.
“These kids have kind of been the kids that nobody really wants to invest in. So for somebody at 101 to want to come and give their story, is a really big thing,” Gibson said.
One student who had Jennings sign his history book, Jacob Linkous, said they have been preparing all week for the visit.
“Not even like 30 minutes ago, we had an entire discussion about World War II.”
Linkous, who hopes to join the military one day, said meeting a World War II veteran is something you don’t get to do every day.
“Him being from the greatest generation, maybe we can take something from that,” Linkous said. “It’s something I won’t forget, ever.”
Jennings said he just hopes the students there took a little bit of what they heard, and can apply it to their lives.