SRC debuts American history book
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

Submitted Photo Santa Rosa County Commissioner W.D. "Don" Salter holds a copy of "Freedom." School DIstrict administrators hope to have the book in middle schools after the completion of FCAT.

A m e r i c a n History is alive and well in Santa Rosa County and is chronicled in a new textbook that was produced locally. The new book honors and tells the story of United States military veterans and was delivered to the Santa Rosa County School District last week. The books were also presented to the public Feb. 19 at the Veterans' Memorial Plaza, located downtown in Milton on South Willing Street in Riverwalk Park.

The book, entitled "Freedom," was produced by the Santa Rosa County Veteran's Memorial Committee. The 128-page, full-color book will be provided to all eighth grade American History students in Santa Rosa County thanks to the generous donations from various businesses and individuals in the area.

"We are proud to make this a part of the curriculum in Santa Rosa Schools," said Santa Rosa County Commissioner W.D. "Don" Salter, who is also a combat veteran. "We want people to know that this book does not take a political stand; instead, it simply tells the story of the veteran and the wars he and she have fought in throughout our history in order to preserve the freedoms we all enjoy as American citizens."

The book project, which has been underway for three years, looks at every branch of the military - even the "War Dogs" that have served in various capacities.

"We wanted this book to be something that could be used in the classroom as a supplement to the regular curriculum," said Ralph Nesenson, Manager of the Santa Rosa County Veteran's Memorial Plaza. "With many students in the county and surrounding area taking regular field trips to our plaza in Milton, we felt the timing was right to provide this information in a book format that could be a teaching tool."

The Santa Rosa County School District was instrumental in helping produce the book, serving in an advisory and editing role throughout the two-year process. Clark Youngblood with the Santa Rosa School District said his office plans to work the new material into the eighth grade curriculum this school year once the Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is over. He would like to see teachers introduce the book this year and then participate in a workshop over the summer to develop lesson plans for the 2007-2008 school year.

"It is one of the greatest feelings in the world to have done this," Youngblood said. " A lot of folks have been involved and have put in a lot of blood sweat and tears."

Heritage Publishing Consultants, Inc., of Clanton, Alabama, edited, designed and published the book. David Bice, with HPC, said the project has been an honor for his company. "We've worked on many different projects down through the years," Bice said, "but few, if any, have been as gratifying and important as this one. That's because this book tells the story from the viewpoint of the veterans themselves. This isn't meant to sway anyone's position, but it is intended to sway the opinion that our military is deserving of our support simply because of the sacrifices made through the years."

In addition to looking at the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, War Dogs and National Guard, the book also looks at every major war or conflict the United States has been involved in since the Revolutionary War. The wars are written in chronological order, and timelines for each war are located in the appendix of the book. An index also serves as a compliment to the timelines and as a teaching tool for students and teachers alike.

A military review committee also reviewed the project and several graduate students from the University of West Florida wrote sections of the book.

Copies of the publication are available to the public for $30 by contacting Nesenson at the Memorial Veterans' Plaza offices at 626-7292 on weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. All net profits from the book benefit the Santa Rosa County Veteran's Memorial Plaza.