On Thursday, November 9, Mrs. Lemmon Hoffman's classes hosted a veteran from the Vietnam War era.
Sgt. Ray Rossi was born and raised in Eau Claire, PA. He graduated from Moniteau High School in 1966 and went on to study at Butler County Community College when he was drafted into the Army in 1969. After his basic training and advanced infantry training, he spent 13 months in South Vietnam to return home on November 9, 1970.
He shared many stories with the students but a few that stood out to the students were about a spider monkey, leeches, the climate, and the care packages he received from his girlfriend, now wife, with pudding cups and slim Jims. He looked forward to sending letters home to her, too. Since he knew he would be gone for at least 52 weeks, he bought a pack of playing cards, and with each letter he sent to her, a playing card was included, except for one—the Joker. He promised to bring that card home with him and he did!
Thank you for your service, Mr. Rossi, and thank you for spending your day at Knoch!
