Cottonwood connection '€” six men from fifth-grade class are now active military

WASILLA — It isn’t unusual for Lisa Brayton to peruse her hometown newspaper and recognize names and faces.

As a 16-year teacher at Cottonwood Elementary School, Brayton has seen her share of neighbors and school activities featured. On Monday, while preparing to teach her students about Veterans Day, she made a remarkable discovery. Listed in the Frontiersman’s Roll Call of Honor, a compilation of active service men and women with local ties, she recognized more familiar names.

There was Joseph Reza, David C. Stanberry II, Nathan Maillard and Nicholas Czechowicz. All four were former fifth-grade students of Brayton’s and all are on active military duty. They are also all from the same fifth-grade class she taught 15 years ago. Along with Jay Phillips and Louis Jensen, and that one small group has six veterans serving their country.

Brayton took time to remember her former students and discuss the importance veterans have in everyday life in the Valley.

Frontiersman: You were looking at the Roll Call list and some of the names were familiar.

Brayton: Yeah, I was looking at the list and said, “Oh my gosh,” and started looking down the names. I counted at least five, which is interesting, out of the same fifth-grade class I had. These boys would now be 25. It was my second year here at Cottonwood. That’s serendipity, isn’t it?

F: When did you make this connection?

B: Just today (Monday). I looked at the list and the first thing I saw was “Joe Reza.” It just jumped right at me. And I went and looked and realized all those boys were in that same class.

F: You knew these boys when they were 10 and 11 years old. What goes through your mind when you see them today?

B: It’s awesome, because they are full-grown men with an extreme sense of dedication. These men are really making a difference (I can’t call them kids anymore). And what’s wonderful is they come back, they want to make that connection. They’re proud of what they’ve become. … I think sometimes they don’t get as much thanks or as much recognition as they truly deserve.

F: With Wednesday being Veterans Day, what do you think about seeing so many from one class serving their country?

B: I am really proud. I am surprised, really, that from that one cohort — from those 22 children I had — that six of them grew up and are serving in the military. That is so cool. Every Memorial Day and every Veterans Day I make connections with the VFW and give out the poppies.

F: What do you think of when Veterans Day and Memorial Day come around?

B: I personally think about things that have to do with my own life. My father is a veteran of the Vietnam War, my grandfather is a veteran of World War II. At Cottonwood, the whole theme is we’re a community, a big family. What I possibly attribute this patriotism to is that they came from a school that really values tradition.

F: What is the commitment at Cottonwood to teaching about the military and its role in American history?

B: How do I use this? Jay (Phillips) came into our class when I was teaching third grade and he taught the kids how to march, and here’s what we do, and here’s how we act, and this is what it means to be in the military. He works with my little kids, how cool is that? Louis Jensen comes back in full uniform.

F: What contact do you still have with these students 15 years later?

B: With these students, Jay, Louis and Joe Reza make sure to visit me whenever they come home on leave. In fact, this summer he was home and someone knocks on the door and it was (him). I made a big feast, and he stayed until after midnight sharing his experiences with me. So, when it’s school time, these boys will come back and they’ll see us. What I like to do is encourage them to come dressed in uniform so the little kids will know what it means, what it looks like.

F: What do you hope today’s Cottonwood students can learn from the example of these six?

B: I’m really excited about it, that they have a strong sense of community and always revisiting us. Not only are they supporting Wasilla and Cottonwood and Alaska, but the United States. I want them to have a strong sense of global community.

F: What does the military stand for, in your mind?

B: I think it stands for a really strong sense of pride to be an American, and (service) is one way they can show how they feel about being an American. They’re willing to put their lives out there and their feelings and beliefs out there to support that.

F: Do you think you’ve played a small role in the development of these service men?

B: Oh gosh, I sure hope so. It makes me really proud. I’m really proud of these boys, and what’s so cool is they understand that, from the classroom, it gets larger and larger and larger.

F: If there are at least six from that same class on our Roll Call list, you have to believe there are others you don’t know about.

B: For me to know so many young men, and possibly women, that are in the service with that connection to me, I find that astounding. I’m really excited, and I make a big deal about it.

F: What are you going to tell your students about Veterans Day?

B: I am telling them that there are a lot of (Cottonwood Elementary School) Cougars who are showing good citizenship, excellence, commitment, sense of community. I’ve already spoken to all the classes I had and told them all about this list. What we’re going to do next is highlight all of the people we know who may or may not be Cottonwood Cougars. It’s going to be huge. They’re going to go home and ask their adults about it.

F: As exciting as it is to see these names in the Roll Call of Honor, do you have fear for them as well?

B: Oh yes, I worry. I do have one student who was injured. It was a roadside bombing. It was Jay, and Jay was the one who came in and taught our kids. When that happened, my class of third-graders made him cards, made him a giant poster. Our philosophy is once a Cougar, always a Cougar. … On that day I cried. I was devastated. I talked to his parents and I called him and talked to him. There’s that chance, I know. Whether or not something horrible happens, my sense of pride doesn’t diminish. My sense of sorrow will be huge if something devastating happens, but I wouldn’t discourage them from following their hearts’ dreams.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.