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Veterans Day
Mississinawa
Valley students honor Vets
By Kara Jessup
CNO Teen Reporter
“Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10
minutes. He stays up for days on end. You take a warm shower to help
you wake up. He goes days or weeks without running water…”
You are a civilian. He is a soldier.
On Monday Nov. 12th, Mississinawa Valley held a Veteran’s Day assembly
to honor those men and women who have served or are currently serving
for our country. An estimated 50 veterans attended this assembly and
ate breakfast with their children or grandchildren that attend
Mississinawa Valley.
The assembly started with the presentation of the colors by the Union
City, IN VFW color guard. Blake Scholl and Zac Longfellow, both fifth
grade students, explained the meaning of the pledge of allegiance.
After that, a slideshow was played showing pictures of each branch.
When the Veterans saw their branch, they were asked to stand and be
recognized.
Air force Veteran/Deputy Sherriff Chad Hiestand was the guest speaker
at the assembly. Hiestand served for 21 years in the Air force and was
stationed in Iran, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Somalia, Panama, and was in the
Gulf War, Desert Shield, and Desert Storm.
Mississinawa Valley students Logan Nelson, Brad Slyder, and Shiann
Livingston compared soldiers to civilians.
“Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10
minutes… You complain about how hot it is. He wears his heavy gear, not
daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow. You're angry because
your class ran five minutes over. He's told he will be held over an
extra two months. You crawl into your soft bed, with pillows, and get
comfortable. He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5-minute nap, only
to be awakened by gunfire. You make sure your cell phone is in your
pocket. He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog
tags.”
Tonya Coning attended the assembly with her daughter Makayla and son
Austin. She was in the Army and was stationed in South Carolina and
Fort Lee, Va. Tonya was in training while the Gulf War was taking place.
Stephen Moore was in the Army National Guard. His reason for joining
was because he was being laid off, wanted to stay in shape, and serve
our country. He has been to Germany and Bosnia with a deployment of 11
months.
Richard Grow Jr. and his grandchildren also attended the assembly. Grow
decided to go into the Navy because his father was involved in the
Battle of the Bulge and World War II and didn’t want his son to go
through what he did. He thought it would be safer to go into the Navy
instead of the Army. He also described it as a “pride thing”. He was
stationed on the USS Rowan, USS Parson, and Gulf of Tonkin.
The week before the assembly, the students, faculty, and community
donated money to the Wounded Warrior Project. This organization donates
supplies to wounded soldiers upon returning home. By the end of the
week, $588.82 was raised.
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