(April 2, 2013) — AP American History students recently had the opportunity to experience the lives of the veterans who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. AP History teacher Nicholas Doom took his junior classes to explore the U.S. Navy battleship USS Iowa on March 13 in hopes that his students would learn about the harsh conditions the men had to endure on that ship while serving the U.S. “I hope the students will appreciate the services of the Americans who defeated the Japanese,” Doom said.

Junior Luiza Harutyunyan said the field trip was an enriching and fulfilling experience. “I learned that FDR, Churchill and Stalin were all on that ship while discussing about the Tehran Conference,” Harutyunyan said. Even though Harutyunyan had to walk the entire time there and ended up sleeping during the long bus ride, she said she would still go back and visit the USS Iowa.

“As a souvenir, I bought two small magnets of the USS Iowa,” Harutyunyan said. However, perhaps the small magnets will not be her only memories of the ship. She said she remembers vividly some of her classmates running towards the buses as they were leaving because they were late.

For junior Marc Miller this field trip was also interesting and informative. Miller learned how naval ships were built while he got a tour of both the upper and lower decks of the USS Iowa. Besides learning about the history of this naval battleship, Miller said he had a pleasant time during lunchtime and shopping for souvenirs. “I would recommend anyone to visit the USS Iowa before it is turned into a floating museum,” Miller said.

According to Doom, this immersive-learning experience allowed students the chance to get a feel of the cramped quarters and the lack of privacy on a ship as well as the hard work of the naval personnel on the USS Iowa. Also, Doom said that he assumed the students would enjoy this field trip more than the students last year, who instead took a field trip to GCC and listened to Terrance Roberts who was one of the Little Rock Nine students.