Veterans Day is a day to celebrate the brave souls who risked their lives to ensure freedom for the United States. It is celebrated every year on Nov. 11, as Green High School AFJROTC takes the task of celebrating it to the max. They hold a breakfast and have a ceremony after, all to represent the hero’s who risked their lives to ensure our safety.
“It was an honor to be part of the celebration of veterans in our community. It’s great that we can come together and celebrate the freedom of our great nation,” Retired Lieutenant Matthew Cikity, a navy veteran, said.
The Veterans Day breakfast starts with a color guard detail walking the veterans into the library, and have swords making an arch. Then senior Domonic Stewart, the vice wing commander of ROTC, proceeds with a speech dedicated to those who have served. Subsequently, they welcome the veterans and all who are present to stand for the showing of the colors, and the national anthem sung by Green acapella. Then Green ROTC members coin all the Veterans with memorial coins that represent all they have done to help America and all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into their daily lives.
”Our Cadets truly know that Veterans Day is their opportunity to thank all Americans who have served to preserve our freedoms and our way of life.” Lieutenant Colonel VanNatta said, “ Every color guard member, every veteran escort, every saber, every flag folder knows they are giving a gift to Veterans, and they feel so privileged to have this unique opportunity to honor and thank Veterans in each moving, patriotic, dignified demonstration.”
After that, the CIty of Green holds a ceremony and ice cream social that people from surrounding cities come to enjoy. They start with a presentation of colors, which is led by Green Fire Honor Guard and Green AFROTC, in addition the National Anthem is sung by the High School’s A Capella group. Henceforward Green Mayor, Rocco Yeargin, gave a speech about honoring those who have served.
Special guest Congresswoman, Emilia Sykes, showed her thanks and support for veterans. Following this as a yearly tradition, the veterans were invited to line up around the Veterans park to be thanked by their community for their service, others were welcomed to line up around the memorial tree to remember veterans who have lost lives due to sucide. The tree is a sign of the hard troubles veterans face when they come back home. Then the veterans will be invited to enjoy an old-fashioned ice cream, by Waylon’s Handcrafted Ice cream.
“The speech really hit home, because both my parents were gone most of my childhood due to the marines.” Zimmermann said.
Over the world millions of people celebrate this, for people who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Make sure to thank veterans, make sure to give them extra thanks on this day