“I loved it. I thought it was great,” he said. “The kids in high school have never known a non-war period. That’s kinda strange when you think about it. “They have to realize what it takes to keep peace and we also need leaders to give it to us.”
Several students spoke during the program about what Veteran’s Day means to them.
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“This day to me is represented by three words — courage, honor and bravery,” said Mason Hayslip.
Emma Castello said Veterans Day started to take on a new meaning when her sister decided to join the U.S. Army.
“I missed her so much, and I can’t even imagine how she felt during that time,” she said.
It’s that type of sacrifice that U.S. Army Veteran James Timmons said he wants to impress upon kids.
“One day we left home and in my case, — I didn’t come back for two years,” he said.
That theme was echoed by keynote speaker, Ray O’Conor.
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O’Conor is the author of the book, ‘She Called Him Raymond.’ He left his position as a bank CEO to research and write the book, which follows the story of his namesake — an Army Air Corp pilot who was killed while serving in the 1940s.
“I learned a lot of lessons through this process,” O’Conor said. “I have a much greater appreciation for the sacrifices that those in the military make for all of us and also about the sacrifices made by those that they leave behind.”
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The program also featured a presentation of the colors by the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Honor Guard, a video tribute, several songs by the Greenon High School symphonic band and Greenon’s Royal Sound, a presentation to the Honor Flight organization and finally — students got to thank attending veterans face-to-face with a handshake line.
“I was thanking them for having us. You know it takes them to have us here. So I was thanking them back,” said Timmons.
When asked what he’d like the community to take away from Veteran’s Day, Timmons said — unity.
“I don’t care if you’re Marines, Coast Guard — it’s a bond,” he said. “We just love each other because we helped keep this country together, and I would like to see that come back to the whole United States.”
Veterans were also honored in South Charleston when the village’s new Veterans Memorial was dedicated on Monday.
The memorial is located at the end of Woodward Street at State Route 41. It is next to the bike path on the south side of the village.
20M — Approximate number of U.S. veterans in 2017
775K — Approximate number of veterans living in Ohio
6 — Ohio’s rank among states for total veteran population
The Springfield News-Sun is committed to bringing you coverage of Veterans Day, veterans and other military related issues in Clark County.
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