VFW Post #308

Awards Scholarship To NHS Senior

By Susan Coney

Post Commander Ernest Junie Ingram and officers of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #308 held a ceremony at their hall on April 20 to recognize Newtown High School senior Kaelyn Forde Eckenrode for her investigative journalism work with veterans and their families.

She is the daughter of Robert and Sheila Eckenrode and sister of Robert Jr of 7 Wildcat Road. Kaelyn will receive a $5,000 scholarship for each of the next four years and will be attending the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communications as a broadcast journalism and political science major for the 2005 fall term.

Kaelyn’s in depth journalism project, “Finding David,” began with a MIA bracelet she received at The Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, D.C., while attending a NHS class trip. The resulting story documented her search for the family of Missing-In-Action soldier David Stanley Price of Centralia, Wash., whose disappearance from Phou Pha Thi, Laos, in 1968 was never investigated.

Kaelyn also interviewed and worked with several local Newtown VFW members, including Post Quartermaster David Giovanetti of Tennessee, formerly of Newtown. These local veterans graciously shared their stories for her project that was presented to her classmates and the local community.

“Finding David” garnered the recognition of community leaders for its honest and in-depth presentation of the thoughts, emotions, and the human condition during times of war.

“At first I was reluctant to talk to her or any one else about Vietnam, but after meeting her and her father, it was harder not to,” said Mr Giovanetti. “The relentless hard work, talent, and passion shown in her research and interviews made us all proud and honored to support her continued education.”