The Shadow
Thursday, November 9th, Curtis A Smith VFW Post 1033 presented a very special Veterans Day tribute to all local veterans with the help of staff and students from the school.
The program opened with the presentation of the flag by Charlie Byers carrying the Virginia state flag and Kinsley Jefferson carrying the American Flag followed by the singing of the National Anthem led by Jeter-Watson Elementary students.
Bill Atherholt, VFW Post 1033 Quartermaster, opened the ceremony by asking the students “What is Veterans Day? Why are we celebrating today? We are recognizing the many men and women who are serving and have served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, our Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Space Command and our Coast Guard. Some of these veterans have been to war. Some of them have not been to war but all of them raised their right hand and pledged to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Every veteran here would have been ready to go to war if they were ordered to do so.”
Kyle Moore, sheriff-elect, spoke to the students thanking all the veterans who came before him and those who will come after him. Moore also thanked all public servants… nurses, doctors, police and firefighters for their hard work and dedication to our community. He told them that some of them may become sailors, airmen or marines one day.
Students from PK – 2nd grade sang Poppies Red and 3rd through 5th graders sang America, the Beautiful. The 5th-grade choir honored the veterans by singing The Armed Forces Medley. There is a lot of pride for these veterans as they rise to pay homage to their branch of the service. Always an emotional moment. Thank you to Mrs. Peters for all her hard work in preparing the students for this special day. I’m sure some of them have mommies and daddies who served our country.
Final remarks were given by the school principal, Cindy Morgan.
The ceremony closed with the retreat of the flag followed by a reception given by the school. During the reception 4th grader Elizabeth Miller took the opportunity to say “thank you” to all veterans in attendance. It was very heartwarming to see this young student individually meeting all these heroes.
A special thank you to Hope Arthur for donating the beautiful roses that were given to each veteran in attendance.
Amanda Burns, Early Childhood Special Education teacher, made the following remarks. “Veterans Day is always a wonderful opportunity for the students at Jeter Watson Elementary to reflect on the sacrifices, commitment, and perseverance of our local veterans. This is a wonderful learning experience for our students and a wonderful way to honor our servicemen and women. Veterans who were able to attend were very honored and humbled by the students’ performances”.
We would like to thank principal Cindy Morgan and the Alleghany Highlands school system for inviting VFW Post 1033 to come to Jeter-Watson Elementary to honor our veterans. Children from all classes were very excited and it’s a great opportunity for them to learn more about our country and our freedom. Thank you also to the teachers who worked so hard to make this day special for our veterans…. Kaitlyn Peters, Cindy Arthur, Amanda Burns and custodian Matthew Lindsay.
Amanda Burns, Early Childhood Special Education teacher, said the following: “Veterans Day is always a wonderful opportunity for the students at Jeter Watson Elementary to reflect on the sacrifices, commitment, and perseverance of our local veterans. This is a wonderful learning experience for our students and a wonderful way to honor our servicemen and women. Veterans who were able to attend were very honored and humbled by the students’ performances”.
