Students experience history outside of the classroom at Penn State Altoona

ALTOONA, Pa. — Throughout the spring 2026 semester, students in the Penn State Altoona class History 144: The World at War had the opportunity to experience the history of the Second World War outside of the traditional classroom setting.

The course is taught by Jared Frederick, associate teaching professor of history. As the author of four books on the conflict, he used the resources at his disposal to offer unique learning opportunities for his students.

"Over 99% of World War II veterans are now gone," Frederick said. "This generation is quickly fading into memory, and I felt duty-bound to engage students with veterans of the war while still possible."

Frederick arranged a trip to Foxdale Retirement Village in State College, where he has interacted with residents who lived through the military exploits of the 1940s. Students met with three veterans ranging in ages from 100 to 104: John Buzzell of the 3250th Signal Service Company; John Homan of the 489th Bomb Group; and Curt Horton of the 453rd Bomb Group, the same unit in which famous Pennsylvania actor Jimmy Stewart served with distinction.

The men shared stories of horror and humor alike. Former pilot Homan co-authored his wartime memoirs, “Into the Cold Blue,” with Frederick. "Bombs are not the answer,” he told the students. “Choose democracy."

Horton, a tail gunner on a B-24, recalled a dangerous takeoff in English fog at the outset of a mission. "Our pilot had to slide open his window and watch for the paint marks on the runway, so we didn't veer off path," he said.

Buzzell participated in the Normandy invasion as a codebreaker. "Don't go through what we went through,” he said to the students.

On that same trip, students explored the Eighth Air Force World War II Collections at the Pattee-Paterno Library and received a behind-the-scenes tour of military vehicles at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in nearby Boalsburg.

Students had another opportunity to immerse themselves in history with a field trip to Gettysburg, where, unlike taking the typical Civil War battlefield tour, they explored World War II museums and landmarks.

Thirty-five students, faculty and staff visited the World War II American Experience Museum on the outskirts of the historic borough. Home to a vast collection of artifacts and vintage vehicles, group members received a personalized tour of its galleries, explored the inside of an armored tank destroyer, and rode in period Army trucks across the sprawling pastures surrounding the museum.

"You really get a sense of empathy for what those guys went through," one student said. "That was a rocky ride."

The group then took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Gettysburg Museum of History, owned and curated by Erik Dorr. They were granted up-close and personal access to valuable artifacts in the museum collection, including GI personal items, Adolf Hitler possessions captured as war prizes by Americans, and a striped concentration camp uniform — a stark artifact underscoring the era's deadly ramifications. Students were particularly intrigued by Dorr's substantial assemblage of artifacts associated with the real-life paratroopers depicted in the iconic HBO series “Band of Brothers.”

The museums were followed by a trek to nearby Eisenhower National Historic Site, home of supreme allied commander and later U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ranger Dan Vermilya of the National Park Service facilitated a conversation on the qualities of leadership and what young people can learn from "Ike" today. Students then toured the historic home, preserved as a time capsule from when the Eisenhowers lived on-site from the 1950s-70s.

A final stop before free time to explore the downtown area was the Gettysburg National Cemetery, dedicated by Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in 1863. It is also the final resting place of more than 1,000 World War II veterans, some 600 of whom were killed in combat. Among the burials is Lt. Ralph Stehley, an Altoona native whose childhood home still stands only two blocks away from Penn State Altoona's downtown campus. Exploring the peaceful grounds of the cemetery gave the students the opportunity to contemplate the human cost of war.

Outside of the two optional field trips, students were able to connect with local World War II history in other creative ways for the course. They were tasked with compiling research portfolios consisting of primary sources on a World War II-era personality from their hometowns. Individuals who were researched ranged from Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, to Medal of Honor recipients, to lesser-known "Rosie the Riveters" who worked in Pennsylvania plants. Students also filmed short documentaries in the hometowns, visiting landmarks and tracing how their native communities contributed to the war effort.

"It might seem difficult to make something as big and momentous as World War II so personal, but it's really not,” Frederick said. “The war affected communities large and small in every corner of the globe. Giving the people in those places a bit of humanity makes their stories very accessible and relevant. That's what I strive for with these sorts of trips and projects."