Many schools hold Veterans Day events, but no school does it quite like we do at Harrison High School. We don’t hold back when it comes to honoring the men and women who bravely fought for our country.
Veterans Day is a holiday meant to give credit to, thank, and appreciate all of our veterans throughout the years. Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day and was meant to commemorate the armistice, or truce, that took place on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 that ended World War I and to commemorate that peace and the veterans who fought in the “war to end all wars.” But, in 1953, Alvin J. King proposed to change Armistice Day to Veterans Day, in hopes of broadening the holiday to commemorate all veterans. The change took place on June 1st, 1954.
For Harrison’s ceremony, veterans of all ages, branches, and backgrounds came together during this time to sit by one another and allow us to recognize them and thank them for their service in various ways. Students presented the colors, and gave speeches, and even a prayer, and JTM provided a nice breakfast for the Veterans and their family.
On top of the ceremony, JROTC students also did a march around the junior high and elementary school, carrying flags and marching in cadence with one another for the younger students and other teachers to see while the veterans drove behind them. The march on its own took about 30-45 minutes. Finally, JROTC presented the colors and watched the veterans drive by and go on their way after their long morning.
Overall, this veteran’s ceremony was executed well and was successful, as were the ones in the past, with no issues or complaints heard from teachers or students. We thank these wonderful people, for their service to our country and fighting for our freedom and our right to have gathered there in that moment. We are lucky to have such a strong group of staff and student volunteers who are willing to put together a massive event like this.
Thank you for your service, veterans!
