TRAFFIC

Idaho students will give helmet to WWII veteran's widow

Rep. Minnick donates flyer miles so Vineyard kids can return husband's WWII Army headgear to his wife.

BY BILL ROBERTS - broberts@idahostatesman.com

Published: 02/12/09

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Read Bill Roberts' previous story on the helmet

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

HOW TO HELP

Students are still looking to raise money to feed themselves when they deliver the World War II Army helmet to Connecticut. To make donations, call Vineyard Christian Fellowshipat 377-1477.

Ten home-school co-op students will deliver a World War II helmet to a Connecticut veteran's family next week, thanks in large part to a donation of 300,000 frequent flyer miles by Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick.

Minnick agreed to donate his miles after hearing about the students' project to locate the helmet's owner, starting with only his name and company written in the helmet lining.

The project is just one example of the work that goes "unnoticed and unheralded in our schools every day," said John Foster, a Minnick spokesman.

The 11th-grade international history students at Vineyard Christian Home School Co-op in Boise researched the helmet for several weeks in December after their instructor Dennis Mansfield challenged them to find its owner. Mansfield first got the helmet 37 years ago as a gift from his father.

The students discovered that the veteran - Anthony Malone - had been a medic and died about eight years ago. But his widow still lives in Connecticut.

Students wanted to bring the helmet to Malone's family, but they were struggling with finding a way for all the students to make the trip.

"I am so excited," said Shalom Knight, 17, of Star, one of the students. "It's like we get to return this piece of this man's life back to his family. It was a huge blessing that we could go."

Minnick earned the miles from business and campaign trips on U.S. Airways. U.S. Airways waved some fees, and an anonymous U.S. Airways employee paid the taxes on the flights.

Bill Roberts: 377-6408

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