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Honoring those who served |
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Wednesday, 12 November 2008 |
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 Staff photo/Katie Yantis
Dozens of veterans look on with pride during an event held Tuesday morning at New Bremen Junior High School in honor of Veterans Day.
By KATIE YANTIS
Staff Writer
NEW BREMEN — Fathers, brothers, sisters, parents and grandparents were honored at New Bremen Junior High School Tuesday morning.
New Bremen Junior High School held its Veterans Day assembly Tuesday morning, recognizing the 25 million living veterans.
“We invited over 100 veterans,” Student Council advisor Nita McKinney said.
The junior high student council was responsible for putting the assembly together.
Students submitted veterans they wanted to invite to the program and the student council sent out the invitations.
“I would like to compliment our student council and the awesome job they did,” principal Karen Smith said.
Before the program, the council offered a breakfast to those in attendance.
“The morning breakfast was completely funded by the student council,” McKinney said.
Assistant principal Howard Overman said the assembly has taken place for approximately six years and it helps the students realize the importance of the day.
“It helps to try and get the kids to understand,” Overman said.
“It is easy for them to take it for granted, but some kids understand it and are very thankful.”
Smith also said he believes the veterans enjoy being a part of the program each year.
“When you see the veterans out in the community they always say thank you for doing that program and letting them be part of it,” Smith said.
“That is reason enough for us to continue the program each year.”
Veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard were in attendance for the assembly.
Smith began the assembly with a letter President Bush writes to schools every year about the importance of remembering the nation’s veterans.
Student council members read poems during the ceremony as well.
“It is great thing to get people together and celebrate,” student council member Tarynn Clune said.
A fellow student council member said she has realized the importance of the day.
“It made me think about what is going on right now,” Hannah Burkard said. “What these people went through, so much yet they are still here.”
The seventh and eighth-grade choir and sixth-grade choir sang for those in attendance.
Student council members read the names of those veterans in attendance to stand up and be recognized by all of the students.
The assembly also recognized fallen soldiers and those who passed away.
Rob Kuenning played “Taps” in honor of those veterans.
The assembly ended with all of those in attendance signing “God Bless America” and the retiring of the colors.
After the assembly the veterans gathered for a group pictures and reminisced on the time served.
“It brings back a lot of memories,” World War II Navy veteran Richard Wiedeman said.
“I think of all the people that are gone, there are not to many World War II veterans that are still here.”
Wiedeman also said the program was nicely done.
“I appreciate it,” Wiedeman said.
National Guard veteran Urban Bertke agreed with Wiedeman.
“It means a lot, it means the kids are educated today to know what veterans have done for them in the past,” Bertke said.
McKinney said she was pleased with the program. She said some of the those invited unable to be in attendance because of the distance or the fact they are on active duty.
“It’s always a nice turn out,” McKinney said. “The veterans seem very pleased.” |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 17 November 2008 )
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