Vietnam veteran brings history to life for students

February 23, 2015

36Pab,

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — When Dan Tonietti first spoke to students nearly 20 years ago about his experience in the Vietnam War, he was a reluctant participant.

It took some convincing from Tonietti’s friend Mike Kinney, a Hardin County Schools teacher then and now a board member, to get him into Kinney’s classroom at then-East Hardin High School to share his story.

Almost two decades later, Tonietti still is making appearances to bring history to life for students. He recently spoke to North Hardin High School’s junior U.S. history students.

In his presentation, which included personal pictures, his uniform, dog tags and other items from Tonietti’s time in service, he answered student questions about his experiences with the draft, what it was like living in a war zone, death and how his family coped.