The MHS Veterans Memorial Project began as an initiative of the MHS Social Studies department in the 2024-25 school year. The goal was to create a thorough and accessible way to honor World War II veterans from our school and community, while also teaching our current students valuable research skills and the impact of the war on our community. Through this project, students have begun working to uncover the stories of the 58 individuals (57 students & 1 teacher) from Manhattan High School who lost their lives for their country during World War II. Our students have searched through original archival sources such as census records, high school and college yearbooks, military personnel records, original unit records, maps, archival photos, and many more resources in an attempt to paint a complete picture of these veterans’ lives. Each biography is a carefully created reflection on the lives of these heroic individuals. Students have thoughtfully assembled narratives that explain these veterans’ family background, childhood, experience here at MHS, life at college, military career, and legacy. We hope these continue to serve as a lasting and meaningful tribute to the service and sacrifice of so many members of the MHS family.

The Social Studies department is also hoping to make this an annual tradition and ongoing initiative. To fully tell the stories of all 58 veterans will be a process that takes place over several years, but we hope to eventually expand our research to cover veterans of other wars, as well as possibly honoring veterans who survived the war. If you have any personal connections to these individuals or have information regarding local connections to the war, please reach out to Jackson Allen, MHS Social Studies Teacher, with this information so we can continue to grow and support this mission here at MHS.