Private First Class John F. Garrard
In the fall of 2014, I was selected to be a part of the 2015 Albert H. Small Normandy Institute, where a student and teacher team selected a soldier who died during the Normandy Invasion to research. As the first team from the state of Mississippi, the pressure was on us for sure. We selected Private First Class John Garrard to highlight the "everyman" in the military; a farmer from rural Mississippi who's life ended in the ultimate sacrifice, allowing us the freedoms we still have today. Our research with PFC Garrard started in Mr. Wheat's classroom, went through census and official World War II documents, arrived at the National Archive in College Park, MD, and ended at his resting place at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France. It has been an incredible journey that has changed my life and will hopefully preserve the memory of Private First Class John F. Garrard.
Isaiah McKay
Mr. Al Wheat
McComb High School
Mr. Al Wheat
McComb High School