Veterans of the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and other conflicts, including World War II, made an appearance Wednesday at Durango High School ahead of Veterans Day for the school’s annual Veterans Day Assembly: Remembering Service and Sacrifice.
Veterans entered the high school gymnasium in a procession segmented by military branch: the Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Air Force and Navy. The veterans were honored with the national anthem followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Vietnam veteran and local veterans advocate Bruce Heller introduced attending veterans and the branches they served in, including attendee and veteran William “Bill” Morgan, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
“Veterans Day, of course, is for all the veterans that served our country,” Heller said. “It’s a wonderful tradition that our country has had for approximately 100 years now. I think it’s a wonderful day. It’s nice to be recognized as a veteran, as a Vietnam era veteran.”
Heller recalled how Vietnam vets weren’t “very well received by the community” upon returning home from the nearly 20-year-long war that ended in 1975.
“It was a rough time for everybody, whether you were in combat or just wearing the uniform of the United States military service,” Heller said. “Everybody turned their backs on us.”
Heller said it is “very uplifting and very rewarding” to see assemblies like the one held on Wednesday and commented on how Vietnam veterans appear to be receiving more respect and gratitude than in the days of the war itself.
Heller said he approached Durango High School years ago to see if the school would be open to a short ceremony for veterans during lunch time. He said veterans at the school didn’t get Veterans Day off and had to work through it – he felt like something special should be done for them.
Heller said the principal agreed and allowed the Color Guards to perform at the beginning of school football games at the high school.
“I just continue to volunteer here at the school in between my regular job,” he said.
The veterans were honored and celebrated with several performances from the student choir and band as well as poems recited by students. One of the pieces the choir performed was “Stand Up.”
Students who spoke during the ceremony included Angela McManus, whose cousin is a veteran, and Chase Medenwaldt, who has a grandparent who is a veteran.
Durango High School Theater Troupe 1096 performed a “Missing Man Ceremony,” which features a white-clothed table with empty chairs encircling it while a narrator describes what each item on the table represents.
The empty chairs represent service men and women who did not make it back from conflicts in addition to civilians lost to war. Roses displayed on the table represent friends and family who kept their faith; a yellow ribbon is symbolic of the everlasting wait for missing veterans’ return; an empty champagne glass represents the lost veterans’ inability to share a toast today.
“Veterans Day is a great way to celebrate the service and sacrifice that so many people have made so we can be where we’re at today,” said Principal Jon Hoerl.
Hoerl helped organize Wednesday’s assembly.
“For us to be able to bring members of our community in and celebrate with them and let them know that we appreciate everything that they’ve done, it’s a small token that we can give them.”
The principal said a handful of students who attend Durango High School are interested in attending an academy or serving and so the veterans assembly is a good opportunity for them to meet and connect with veterans to hear about their life experiences. Hoerl said the assembly is also a great opportunity for the general student body to show appreciation and learn a little about veterans.
Students Hazel Seashore Botha and Lexi Behn helped orchestrate the assembly by making sure people were in the right places at the right times.
Before the Veterans Recognition Assembly at 10 a.m., the high school hosted a breakfast for veterans. Behn said the breakfast went well.
“This whole day is about appreciation and thanking our veterans for their sacrifice,” Behn said. “I think the breakfast was super successful. ... A lot of them came to that, and I think it was good for some of them to catch up with each other as well and meet some of us, which was super cool.”
Seashore Botha said the appreciation for veterans goes unseen most days, and the assembly was a way to express that. But she said Durango students celebrate veterans every day and referenced a new bench located in the school courtyard that serves as a tribute to fallen veterans as well as veterans who made it home.
“We don’t really expect our breakfast and our flowers and our certificates to cover our extreme gratitude for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and those who are serving and those who are veterans in general,” Behn said. “This is the smallest thing we could do to thank them for all that they have done.”
Forty-four veterans attended the assembly. Durango Chief of Police Bob Brammer, who was recognized for his veteran Marine status, was among those in attendance. Veteran Sgt. Dale Garland, who helped conduct the event Wednesday, was also recognized for his service in the 9th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army.
Other notable public figures included Rep. Barbara McLachlan, Sen. Don Coram, and Howard Richards with the Southern Ute Veterans Association.
cburney@durangoherald.com
