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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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