Windham High School graduate participates in unique Navy exercise

Hunter Anderson with some of the crew members of ICEX. Some individuals brought their state flags to represent their homes. Here, Hunter holds the original Maine Flag (since it has made a comeback to celebrate Maine’s 200th year). He is also wearing a hat to represent the company where his father works (Foglio, Inc.).

By Elizabeth Richards

Though Hunter Anderson didn’t join the Navy with the goal of joining a submarine team, he’s glad that that’s where he ended up. Recently, being part of this team offered Anderson an opportunity to participate in a multinational maritime ice exercise (ICEX) in the Arctic Ocean.

An article by Geoff Ziezulewiz in the Navy Times said ICEX “helps boat crews stay sharp in an Arctic region that officials believe is becoming increasingly vital to national security.”

The exercise, held every two years, was based out of Camp Seadragon, a temporary military outpost
on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean.

Two U.S. boats participated in ICEX 2020: the Connecticut, based out of Bremerton, WA and the Toledo (Anderson’s boat), based in Groton, CT.

Typically, U.S. boats won’t participate in two exercises in a row. The Toledo was scheduled to participate in the last one, Anderson said, but had been unable to do so, which is why the opportunity arose this year.

The boat was underway for about two and a half months, Anderson said. In addition to testing under ice warfare tactics, and potentially finding new tactics that may work better, they worked with a team of researchers from MIT to support a scientific research project, Anderson said.

Anderson said ICEX was something he looked forward to when joining the submarine force. It’s not
something a surface ship could ever do, he added. “It’s a cool experience to work with the other submarine on the west coast that we usually don’t work with because we’re so far away – It was just a cool experience all around,” he said.

Working on a submarine presents some unique challenges, Anderson said, and it takes a certain type of person to handle the working environment and close quarters. It’s difficult, he said, to get into the submarine force and stay in, making it an undermanned part of the Navy. The upside, he said, is that you know that the people you are working with have been through extensive training, have the necessary knowledge, and won’t crack under pressure.

“You’re working with, hands down, the best people in the Navy,” he said. The downside, he added, is that you are constantly busy because there are so many things only the submarine force can do, and so few people to do them.

Anderson is a 2017 graduate of Windham High School, and his family still lives in Windham. His mother, Vicky Anderson, said she was excited that Hunter had a chance to experience ICEX 2020. “Not many people can say that they’ve been on a submarine, and not many people can say they’ve been on a submarine above the arctic circle,” she said.

Vicky said that Hunter is a true Mainer. “He’s a cold weather guy, so to experience something so extreme like that was right up his alley,” she said. “I was really thrilled for him to get the opportunity
to experience something so unique.”

His whole family is very proud of Hunter, she added, not just because of his participation in ICEX, but because he’s part of the submarine force’s readiness to protect our national security interests. “We’re thrilled that he had the opportunity to experience something like that, but also really proud that he’s part of keeping us safe,” she said.

Windham High School senior produces inspirational video message for the Class of 2020

2020 Senior Tony Hernandez, and Ken Levinsky,
class advisor celebrating before COVID-19 disrupted
normal and everyday routines.

By Elizabeth Richards

Knowing they won’t return to school for the remainder of the year is a major adjustment for all students, teachers and families. But for high school seniors, it’s heartbreaking to hear that they will not walk the halls with their friends one last time.

WHS senior Anthony Gugliuzza created a video that he shared via YouTube early last week.  Now, with distance learning continuing through the end of the year, the video is even more poignant and relevant.

Gugliuzza said he’d been thinking a lot about senior year and the uncertainty that surrounded it.

Looking at pictures of teachers and friends on his phone made him smile, he said, and inspired him to create the video to share. “I thought that if I put something together for the whole class, it would be a means to helping everyone through such tough times. I wanted people not only in our school but throughout the community to know that we will get through this together, even if it means [that] right now we have to be apart.”

The news that school would not reopen this year was tough, Gugliuzza said.  “Our school is like family, the kids, the faculty, we all care about one another. However, I know our school system is filled with some amazing individuals who will find a way to make our senior year special,” he said. “Sometimes you need to lose something to know what you have. Although it's not ideal to lose your
senior year, there is always a plan. Things seem to have a funny way of working out,” he added.

Though Gugliuzza said he wishes he had known that March 12th would be their last day together, he believes that being a senior this year is special in a way no one could have imagined. “I think being a senior this year will mean that we’ll be more battle tested, we’ll be better equipped to handle the curve balls and the adversity that life sometimes throws us. I think it will make us more resilient. I think this class is a memorable one and with all that’s happened this year, I think the spirit of this class will really live on in a special way,” he said.  “The reality we are living now will eventually be a story...one heck of a story.”

When social distancing guidelines are finally relaxed, Gugliuzza said, “I [want to] see the laughs and the smiles, and I am certain we will because that’s who we are, that’s who this community is,” he said. “High school has been an incredible experience and I just don’t want it to fade away into the night.”

Gugliuzza said it’s not just the senior class going through this difficult time. “We all thrive on social
interaction, so this is tough on everyone,” he said.  “I think we just need to be kind, check in with our neighbors or the people that you know and often see around the community. Check in with classmates, even those that maybe you didn’t ordinarily interact with outside of class. We all need to have our spirits lifted from time to time. I think we as a class, we as a community need to band together.”

“I think great things often come out of the most trying of times, so that’s what I hope for most...that this will bring out the very best in all of us,” Gugliuzza said.

Gugliuzza wants to remind his class to stay strong, safe and have faith. He urged them to remain close even from a distance. “The news that distance learning will continue for the remainder of the year is tough, but I’ve heard from teachers and faculty already that want to help, some who are already talking about plans to ensure we have those senior milestones. I’m not giving up on this class or our senior year,” he said. “This story isn’t finished yet. We’re going to get through this together, because our class is family, and that’s what families do.”

He added that he wants to be sure his classmates know that Windham cares about them, and the community is hurting for them too. And he wanted to thank the community and let them know that the Windham High class of 2020 appreciates their care and support, and they’re going to be ok. “Hopefully when this is behind us, we can all celebrate together,” he said.

Finding Kurdistan and a calling: How one trip changed a WHS graduate’s life and created a book

By Lorraine Glowczak

Except for the fact he was born in Iraq to Iranian parents from the Kurdistan region, Hawreh Haddadi, a 2013 Windham High School graduate, was a typical American teenager. Friends, lunch, study hall, chemistry and algebra classes, listening to music and homework were all experiences Haddadi took for granted. That is until the summer of 2010 when he was just finishing his first year of high school.

That summer, Haddadi, his mother, two sisters, and brother traveled to his parents’ homeland, visiting families in Iranian-Kurdistan for two months. It was an eye-opening experience.

Realizing how lucky he was, it changed the level of gratitude he felt to be an American. “Simple things such as getting an education, having a bus to take you to school and eating lunch in a warm and safe environment – all things I took for granted in my easy teenage American life are not every day experiences for many people in Iran,” Haddadi explained. “Getting an education and living in peace was something not everyone was guaranteed. I couldn’t help but think how lucky I was and how chance played a role in my life. I am very lucky to be here in America.”

He also discovered a calling upon his travel to his parents’ homeland he could not ignore – to be an advocate for the Kurdish people and all other minority groups who face persecution and discrimination. One step he has taken to inform others about the horrors experienced by the Kurdish people is through his recently published book, “Finding Kurdistan: A Kurdish Iranian American’s Journey Home”.

“It’s true that I had a general understanding of my parent’s life experiences in Kurdistan, but it wasn’t until I had first-hand knowledge of the culture and witnessed the horrors many face in Kurdistan on a daily basis that it became clear to me the amount of suffering and lack of freedom they encounter,” Haddadi said of his journey to his ancestral homeland. “When I returned, I questioned why the suffering experienced by my ancestors was not known in America. I asked myself, ‘We are taught about the genocide of Jews and the challenges faced by the Israelis but there is very little information about my Kurdish people and the genocide they face. Why is that?’ I answered by own question and I’m here to change all of that – by writing this book.”

Haddadi was born in 1995 in Iraq to an Iranian academic father who was a political and human rights activist and a mother who was a farmer. “Due to the continuous conflict in that region my parents decided to leave and find a new homeland. America was where they wanted to go. Coming to America was a dream come true. It was a difficult and scary journey getting here. My parents were constantly on the move. Even though we got accepted to come to America, the neighboring governments could have easily deported us back to Iran” Haddadi explained. “My father became involved in the 1979 Iranian Revolution and even afterwards was still politically active. No progress was being made and my parents decided they had to leave Iran for the security and well-being of the family. He knew his children would not succeed, or even possibly stay alive where he grew up. He applied for political asylum in America. They did what every other loving and protective parent would do. They did their very best to keep their children alive and provide a successful future for them.”

Hawreh Haddadi with his parents and older sister a few months prior to their departure to America

First the family went from Iran to Iraq before moving on to Turkey while waiting for all the paperwork to be finalized and to be officially accepted into America. It was in the late 1990’s, when they finally arrived to America and eventually became citizens, landing in Windham as their final destination.

“I can’t reiterate enough. If my parents hadn’t come to America, I would have had a completely different life….or no life at all. I am so lucky,” Haddadi stated.

Since luck and chance was on his side, he will do what he can to advocate for his Kurdish family and for the millions of Kurds who are unable to speak for themselves due to control by neighboring governments.

Hawreh Haddadi

But there is one downside to doing that. Since he wrote and published his book, the prospect of him returning to see his family in Kurdistan is highly unlikely. “If this book becomes known among the powers that be in Iran, I will not be able to enter that country,” Haddadi said. “I will be considered a threat. That’s the reason why my father couldn’t travel with us in 2010. He wasn’t allowed back in his own country due to his advocacy against the government. He was promoting democracy and freedom. But I’d rather sacrifice the opportunity to see my aunts, uncles and cousins again. I’d rather bring about awareness and educate the American people about the unfortunate situation of the Kurdish people. I believe this is my calling and I will work the rest of my life to help all people who have been marginalized and not given a fair opportunity at life.”

You can find Haddadi’s book on Amazon.com and find more information on his Facebook page. He is also working on speaking engagements as well as providing his book at local independent bookstores.