Central Veterans Day program is Nov. 11
By Mark Hertrampf, The Tatler
At 11 a.m., Nov. 11, 1918, the War to End All Wars came to an end. The Armistice of WWI brought an end to the conflicts between the Allied and Central powers in Europe. First known as Armistice Day, it celebrated the first year of the end of WWI. However, in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the name to Veterans Day to celebrate all veterans from all wars.
This year, Central Community School will hold its annual Veterans Day Program on Thursday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. The coordinators of the program will be Jill Hesse, the guidance counselor as well as National Honor Society advisor at Central, and the National Honor Society.
In an interview with Hesse about her thoughts on Veterans Day, she commented, “Veterans Day has become a day for me to reflect on the sacrifice that many men and women have given to protect the freedoms I enjoy. I often feel a sense of pride to be in the presence of individuals that have experienced things that I cannot imagine. I have the utmost respect for all service members and feel it necessary to pause and appreciate all they have done and continue to do for our country. In addition, I think we should all pay it forward by volunteering in and serving those in our community.”
Hesse then talked about what the Veterans Day program will include. “The program will look similar to Veterans Day programs in the past. The program will begin and end with a presentation of the flags and patriotic music performed by Central chorus and band. NHS students will share the history of our national anthem and Pledge of Allegiance. The Central band will also help us to recognize members of each branch of service by playing their branch song, and we are asking veterans to stand when they hear their branch song. We will have four veterans receiving a Quilt of Valor this year. The program will be wrapped up with the somber sound of Taps being played by Central band members,” she shared.
Hesse also explained the importance of the program. “The Veterans Day program is an opportunity for students to pay respect to veterans and hear their brave stories. Students can gain a sense of pride in their country and community when we share in saluting those that have served. We also have many students whose parent(s), grandparent(s) or other family members will be in attendance as a veteran. It’s important that these students feel the support this community has for their loved ones and all service members,” she said.
During the interview, Hesse talked about the planning of the program. “Honestly, most of the planning is done by our National Honor Society members. They are active in working together to plan and reach out to veterans. They volunteer for speaking parts and really run the entire program. They certainly have pride in the program and mostly want the veterans to know they respect and thank them for their service.”
Next, Hesse shared her thoughts for what the students will take away from the program itself. “My hope is that students will walk away feeling humbled by being in the presence of honored veterans. They can learn the history behind the pledges we take as Americans and hopefully make the connection that many of the rights we enjoy were provided because of veterans who served in the military.”
She also mentioned ways students can celebrate Veterans Day in their community. “Kids could thank a veteran by doing an act of kindness for them, write a letter to a veteran thanking them for their service, interview a veteran to allow them to share their story and take time to volunteer in their community to learn the value of service.”
This year, like many others, Central will have a guest speaker for the program. United States veteran Tim Rupard will be speaking this year.
In an interview with Rupard, he talked about his military background: “I was an active duty in the Army for four years as a dog trainer and three years in the Army Reserves as a machine operator.”
He then went on to share what his message will be for the student body this year. “It’s going to be what Veterans Day is all about and why I believe it’s so important,” he said.
Finally, Rupard commented on how he felt about being asked as this year’s speaker. “I was very excited and honored to have this opportunity.”
