Sacrifice for Freedom 2022

Sacrifice for Freedom®: World War II in the Pacific Student & Teacher Institute program is a unique and immersive program of student-teacher collaborative learning designed by National History Day® (NHD). Funding from this campaign will support travel, lodging, educational programming, and Hawaii experience for the 16 competitively chosen student/teacher teams selected to participate.

The selected student-teacher teams from the United States, American Samoa, and Guam research the life of a person from their community who died during WWII. The students learn about the sacrifice of war and the legacy of their Silent Heroes®, who are buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) in Honolulu. After months of study about World War II in the Pacific and the cultural history of Hawaii, the students and teachers travel to Hawaii to experience the attack on Oahu. On their final day, they deliver their eulogy in an emotional ceremony. Students continue to revise their biographies for publication on the Silent Heroes website, sharing the voice of their chosen Silent Heroes. 

Sacrifice for Freedom®: World War II in the Pacific Student & Teacher Institute is made possible by a partnership of non-profit organizations, including National History Day and the Pearl Harbor Historic Site Partners; Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, Pacific Historic Parks, USS Missouri Memorial Association, and the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum at Pearl Harbor.