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Liberty Breaks Ground on New School Site

Construction on the future on-site Harry McKillop Elementary School is now underway in the Liberty Community. The school is named after Mr. McKillop for being a true American hero, in recognition of his decades of extraordinary acts of humanitarianism. During World War II, he served as a naval officer aboard the USS Phoenix in the Pacific. For nearly three-and-a-half decades, Mr. McKillop has engaged in missions to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to focus world attention on the plight of American POWs and MIAs from the Vietnam War.

Mr. McKillop coordinated logistics and led a number of missions, including taking the international press to Vietnam, delivering Christmas dinners to POWs and transporting POW/MIA wives and children to Paris to demand information about their husbands and fathers. These efforts, though risky, brought huge benefits, significantly improving the treatment of the prisoners. Jason Smith, Superintendent for Melissa ISD, said naming the school after Mr. McKillop is a true honor.

"We're extremely proud to have such a great man such as you as a member of the Melissa ISD," he added. "It's truly an honor to have McKillop Elementary in Melissa." The 14-acre school site is expected to open for classes in the fall of 2008.