Veterans Day, a national holiday annually celebrated on November 11th, was created to honor everyone who has served or is currently serving in the US Armed Forces. Veterans Day became a federal holiday in 1938, and was originally called Armistice Day. The holiday’s name wasn’t changed until 1954,  when President Eisenhower chose to change the name in the aftermath of the World War II and the Korean War.

Pine Crest chose to honor this important day of remembrance through a special assembly on Wednesday, November 11th, to commemorate our school’s and our nation’s veterans. During this assembly, the Upper School students listened to speeches about the many topics that Veterans Day brings forth, along with the patriotic music performed by our honors chorus and honors orchestra.

To start the assembly, two of Pine Crest’s veterans, Mr. Curran and Mr. Hileman, led the Pledge of Allegiance. To begin the assembly on a patriotic note, the chorus sang the national anthem. Then, Dr. Markham and Mr. Walters both gave brief speeches about the courage required in battle and about how much we owe to our veterans. Since the laying of a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a tradition in Washington D.C., Pine Crest students ceremonially placed a wreath of red, white, and blue flowers on the Stacy Auditorium stage. The assembly then transitioned to Mr. Fuery, one of Pine Crest’s veterans, who talked about how much we take for granted and how fortunate we are to live a safe life. Mr. Fuery’s speech helped the students put everything into perspective and after his speech, many students realized how much they owe to our country’s brave veterans. It was a very meaningful experience for the Pine Crest students to hear about war firsthand.

To end the assembly on a positive, patriotic note, the honors chorus and the honors orchestra played national songs, such as “America the Beautiful.” Their music tied Mr. Fuery’s past experience with war to our present dedication to our country and was a perfect way to end to this poignant and meaningful assembly.  The assembly was an appropriate way to give thanks to our veterans in their sacrifices to keep the United States safe and its liberties secure.

Sources: The History Channel