Veterans Day at St. Jude: Event Brings Veterans and Students Together

Young and old, students and teachers, parents and grandparents stood tall with their hands over their hearts pledging allegiance. Among them several veterans stood in the front row swearing their loyalty and patriotism once again to the U.S. flag.

A big screen was visible in the front of the gymnasium. Stations with posters explaining the different wars were in the back. Veterans who have fought in past wars sat in the front row. It was Veterans Day at St. Jude School.

The private school held a Veterans Day program for the first time. Veterans from the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Korean War and World War II shared their experiences with the students.

After sending out a note to students' families, the school was able to receive support for the event from parents and grandparents. One of the attending veterans John Balog, has grandchildren attending St. Jude. The enthusiastic 92-year-old, World War II veteran explained the importance of history this way, "You base your future on the past."

Principal Katherin Sniffin believes the day's program provided an important experience for her students.

"I think it's really important that our children understand history and understand that all of the things they have, their freedom, their home, their right to learn, and live, and play in relative safety, is because somebody else sacrificed before them," she said.

Amber Helms, an eighth grade teacher with a military family background, started organizing the event by talking to her mother, who gave her some of the ideas. "Military has been our life,” Helms said, while also emphasizing the importance of sacrifice that the students need to know.

The Veterans Day celebration has been well prepared and discussed in the individual classrooms throughout the week. When asked what a veteran is, a kindergarten child explained simply, "They were fighting for our country."