Medal of Honor recipients encourage Northridge students to set goals, prioritize education

NORTHRIDGE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It was a lesson in courage for local elementary and middle school students, who got to hear from two Medal of Honor recipients who served in the Vietnam War.

Army Col. Roger Donlon and Army Staff Sgt. Melvin Morris received a warm welcome fit for heroes at Dearborn Elementary Charter Academy of Northridge. The two were Green Berets and served together in Vietnam.

Our country's highest military honor was given to Donlon by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Morris received his Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama in 2014.

Between the two of them - they have nearly 60 years of service in the U.S. Army. They didn't come to the school to talk about their past - they came to talk about the students' futures.

"What you need to do today is to set a goal for yourself...You don't know what the future holds but try and set a path for yourself," Morris said.

The two stressed the importance of getting an education. They reminded the students that many died, including some of their friends, so they could have the right to go to school and be whatever they wanted.

That's the legacy the 76 living Medal of Honor recipients want to pass on.

"Education is the cornerstone on which our nation has been built upon and that's why we have the freedoms what we have today because we sought to be smarter than the other guy," Donlon said.

The students asked the two veterans how old they were when they joined the army and what it was like to fight.

The two shared how they were injured saving their fellow soldiers in battle. The students learned some very valuable lessons from these two heroes.

The kids showed their appreciation with hugs and high-fives for these two heroes of U.S. history.