Attention Teachers! North Carolina History Day invites you to apply for the National History Day^® Silent Heroes professional development program in the 2026/2027 academic year, Silent Heroes: Untold Stories of the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard in World War II.

This opportunity engages students (minimum of two, maximum of one class) in a special project to research and profile the experiences of two U.S. Navy or Coast Guard Veterans of World War II. Over the course of nine months, student-teacher teams will research the lives of two individuals who served in the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard during World War II, came home, and continued to serve their community, and are currently buried or memorialized in a U.S. National Cemetery or State Veterans Cemetery. This program is sponsored by a grant from the Veterans Legacy Program, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In fall 2026, each student-teacher team will work collaboratively to identify two Veterans and research their lives, military service, and contributions to their communities. In spring 2027, student-teacher teams will visit their local national cemetery to honor their Veterans and read eulogies at their graves. Participants will create profiles for these individuals that will be cross-listed on NHD’s Silent Heroes website and the Veterans Legacy Memorial. The NHD team will create video eulogies to add to these profiles. See a sample NHD-produced video eulogy here. To be eligible for this opportunity, the school must be located within 90 miles of a U.S. National Cemetery or State Veterans Cemetery that is currently open to burials.

Apply Here by August 6, 2026!