Today students had the privilege to honor and recognize those that have given so much for our country. Mr. Hernandez began by introducing senior Christian Avalos to tell us what Veteran's Day is all about.
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| Senior Christian Avalos |
Veteran's Day coincides with Armistice Day, which officially marked the end of WWI when the armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. It was proclaimed a holiday by President Wilson, but wasn't made a legal holiday until 1938. It wasn't until after WWII that the name was changed to honor all service members.
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| Senior Bret Sellnow |
Following
Christian's speech, senior Bret Sellnow, who is enlisting in the Army after graduation, spoke about what Veteran's Day meant to him. He also spoke about how it is important to seek out veterans and thank them for their service.
Marine Sgt. Bredesen (and high school English teacher) had the students speechless as he shared his family's military history and some of his experiences with Kilo Company in Iraq during his six years of service. Sgt. Bredesen's take-a-way message was to take notice of people around us. There are people that we see everyday and we may barely know their name. He stated that we need to understand that everyone is fighting their own battle in life. We don't know what others are going through, so we need to be conscious of that. To state it simply, we need to be kind to everyone. Sgt. Bredesen put out a personal challenge to everyone in the audience to see if they could simply be kind.
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| Sgt. Bredesen addresses the crowd. |
Following a standing ovation for Sgt. Bredesen, members of the American Legion Post 305 presented a gun salute, along with taps played by high school trumpeter April Pitzner.
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| The Legion presents a gun salute. |
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| The High School Band performs the "Armed Forces Salute" |
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| Elementary Veteran's Day Assembly |
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| April plays taps at the elementary school assembly |
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To those who have never served, you will never fully understand the emotions a Veteran feels when thanked for their service. You will never understand the feelings that rage through the body of a Veteran when the National Anthem is played at a sporting event. You can recognize them though, they won't be swaying and they will never be caught talking. They will be the ones in the crowd, standing at attention. Their eyes will not leave the flag, the weather will not hinder their stance. For that moment they will be reflecting on there time as a United States Serviceman or Service Women. When I was a child, we did not celebrate Veterans Day as it is done so widely these days. The events on 9/11 changed America, and although a tragic event, I like the change. From a Veteran who served during the Invasion of Panama, Desert Storm, and Desert Shield - I reach my hand out to you and give thanks for the teachings of our youth. May the messages from Veterans help to teach our youth not to judge. Again, thank you!
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