15-year-old wins contest with essay dedicated to WWII veteran friend
By Forrest Sanders
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CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) — Two people would seem quite different. They grew up in different ways and from different parts of the country. They’re even 85 years apart in age. None of that matters in this wonderful friendship.
“Well, I don’t feel 100,” laughed Col. Joseph A. Peterburs. “Number one, I don’t know how I’m supposed to act at 100-years-old!”
I first spoke to Peterburs in April when he was among 16 World War II veterans boarding a plane for the National WWII Museum.
“We’re going to New Orleans!” Peterburs said.
It was a partnership between the Gary Sinise Foundation and American Airlines. Some Rossview High students out of Clarksville joined to learn the vets’ stories.
“I served 36 years in the United States Army Air Corps and the United States Air Force,” Peterburs said.
In his aircraft Josephine, named after his then-fiance and future wife, Peterburs flew missions over Germany in WWII.
“Ended up being shot down on my 49th mission after destroying six aircrafts,” Peterburs continued. “I became a POW. I escaped.”
Peterburs is today a veteran of WWII, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Flash forward to Tuesday in Clarksville. Olivia Buehler is a 15-year-old at Rossview High in the JROTC program. She was on that flight to New Orleans back in April.
When the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville held its Interview a Veteran Essay Contest, Buehler decided to write about Peterburs.
“He’s definitely had the most experience in the military that I’ve ever met!” Buehler said.
From his home in California, Peterburs read Buehler’s essay. He liked it enough that he flew all the way to Tennessee to be present for the essay reading event.
“It’s an honor!” Buehler said. “I’m very happy he could make it. I knew it was a long shot.”
“I read her essay, and it was just so heartwarming, and I loved it so, so, so much,” Peterburs said. “I just couldn’t miss this. It was a no-brainer.”
There were more than 6,500 essays sent in to the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville. As it turns out, Peterburs is not the only one who thinks Buehler’s essay is pretty great.
“The high school grand winner, Olivia Bueler!” a voice announced.
A surprise congratulations video was sent in from actor Gary Sinise, founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation.
“Joseph, obviously, is a great hero,” Sinise said. “[Bueler], you were moved to write that about him. I just wanted to congratulate you, once again, on winning the essay contest.”
“WWII often seems like a chapter of a textbook,” Bueler read from her essay to the room. “When you sit with someone who lived it, the weight of their courage and sacrifice makes the history come alive once again. At only 19, [Peterburs] drove a P-51 Mustang into a sky of only chaos, fire, and steel to defend vulnerable bombers from German jets. True leadership is not measured in titles or victories but by the courage to shoulder sacrifices for others. Thank you for becoming such a meaningful part of my life.”
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