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Wednesday, 11 November 2009 |
By MATT NICHOLS
Staff Writer
Being one of the last to walk out of the Wapakoneta Middle School gymnasium following Tuesday’s Veterans Day ceremony, a look of pride befell William John’s face.
The efforts employed by the Wapakoneta Middle School students to pay tribute to those who have served in the armed forces had paid off for one local veteran.
“This really showed respect for what we’ve done,” said John, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1960. “It’s good for the younger generation to learn what it’s all about and that there were men and women who put in a lot of dedication to serve their country.”
John, along with more than 150 other U.S. veterans crammed the school’s gymnasium Tuesday for the sixth annual Veterans Day event held by the Wapakoneta Middle School Student Senate. There, the veterans were treated to presentations by Student Senate members as well as patriotic tunes by the school’s band and choir.
Tuesday’s attendance for the event set a record in what Student Senate Supervisor Marilyn Shaw said has been a growing success since its first year.
“We started with maybe about 70 veterans and every year it’s increased a little more,” Shaw said. “Every year we try to vary it a little bit and change things up from the previous year.”
A major change for this year was the inclusion of a keynote speaker.
Iraqi war veteran Brian Rankin headlined the event with an address to the students and veterans. Shaw said Rankin was chosen as a speaker after his nephew recommended his uncle speak at the event.
Rankin served in Desert Storm as a member of the U.S. Air Force, and served two tours in Iraqi Freedom with the U.S. Army. He currently works for the U.S. Government in Washington, D.C.
During his address, Rankin praised the veterans in attendance and presented a brief video documenting his experiences in the Middle East.
After his presentation, Rankin took questions from the students who inquired about details about where he served, the types of aircraft had been on and his experiences in boot camp.
When the ceremony concluded Rankin said he was astounded at the reception given by the students and the reverberant applause given as the veterans filed into the gym.
“It’s incredible,” Rankin said. “I spoke to a middle school after Desert Storm, and that meant a lot to me then. This was very special.”
Rankin said he spoke to several veterans during the special reception held prior to the ceremony in the school cafeteria, and learned all of them look forward to the event every year.
The 21-year serviceman also was honored to see so many veterans representing so many different eras all in one setting.
“World War II, Korea, Vietnam, all the conflicts,” Rankin said. “It’s great to see them and their camaraderie and see that they are still getting out in the community.”
All veterans were asked to attend the event and many were invited to the ceremony by a relative who is a student at the school.
Students who have a veteran in the family that was either too far away to travel or deceased were asked to write their name on a “brick” for the school’s memorial wall.
John, who was asked to attend for the fourth year by his twin grandchildren, Jessica and Jordan Dodds, said the event goes a long way to educate students and help maintain the truth in history.
“People don’t realize what a lot of us went through because history always seems to change as times goes along,” John said. “It makes the kids realize that there was somebody who fought for their lives so they could have freedom.”
Generations apart, that message was not lost on Student Senate President Neal Maxson.
“This ceremony is all for the loads of people who have been here serving our country trying to keep us safe,” Maxson said. “What they did showed how much they cared for all of us.”
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 November 2009 )
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