Archives > News
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
A Veterans Day honor from students
Click image to enlarge
By PAUL GROESSEL - Sun Newspapers
Excelsior Elementary School fourth-graders sent a Veterans Day message that will go far beyond their school's auditorium.
Parents, teachers, Minnetonka School Board members, residents and veterans filled that auditorium Wednesday, Nov. 11, for the 12-annual Veterans Day program, a tribute to all who have served in the U.S. armed services.
The hour-long program will be available on the Minnetonka School District website, and students will receive DVDs of the program. These outlets will give Veteran's and those serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries an opportunity to see the fourth-grader's tribute for their dedication.
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts served as the flag-carrying color guard.
About 120 fourth-graders sang an "Allegiance Rap," "God Bless the U.S.A." and six other songs.
Some shared the history of Veterans Day, and offered their own writings, including thank you messages, poems, and stories from veterans they interviewed.
Veterans Day was celebrated as Armistice Day, a holiday celebrating the end of World War I, before it was officially designated Veterans Day in the 1950's.
During the program, Trumpeter Wade Lutterbein played "Patriotic Medley" and Minnetonka High School students Shafer Stromwall and Andy Wagener played "Taps" during the audience's moment of silence.
After the program, Anita Otten, the Excelsior Elementary School choir teacher, said she and Jill Hoese, now a teacher at Minnetonka High School, started the program in 1997 after they realized elementary school students weren't aware of veterans' importance to the United States.
"We decided hey, we need to help these kids know what a veteran is," Otten said.
So they tied Veterans Day to an existing fourth-grade program, having fourth-graders learn "The Star-Spangled Banner." Then, there were writing assignments about veterans. The tribute and attendance has evolved and grown ever since, Otten said.
For this year's production, Students rehearsed songs for a month, Otten said.
"It takes a school to put this on," she said.
And, it was appreciated.
"For our group at the VFW, this is one of our highlights," said Lake Minnetonka VFW member and program attendee Howard Johnson. "It's a well-kept secret."
The program also included guest speakers Juli Gempler and Glenn Froberg, U.S. Navy veterans, and Tim Leonhardt of the Minnesota Patriot Guard.
Gempler served in the Navy between 1990 and 1994 and spent eight months on a tender ship, the U.S.S. Acadia, which supplied and repaired destroyers during Operation Desert Shield, which turned into Operation Desert Storm.
The U.S.S. Acadia, the first ship to deploy with crewmembers knowing they were headed for a battle zone, was 640 ft long and had 1,400 crewmembers, including 400 women, she said.
"At this time," Gempler said, "women were not in combat zones, but somehow, there we were in the middle of the Persian Gulf with no large weapons on board to protect ourselves. We were anchored In the Persian golf for almost two months surrounded by battles ships, warships and destroyers protecting us from any hostility."
Joining the Navy led to learning "accountability, responsibility and teamwork," she said.
Her brother also served in the Navy during Operation Desert Storm, she said, and her father, watching in the audience, was a veteran.
"I never thought I would have followed in his footsteps," she said. "But I'm proud that I did."
Froberg, a U.S. Navy veteran from Tonka Bay, served during World War II.
"One thing that attack on Pearl Harbor [Dec. 7, 1941] did was unite our country," he said. "We were all together. We were all looking toward defeating the empire of Japan."
He worked on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, arranging equipment that catapulted planes off the 500-foot long deck. They also operated the arresting gear, which helped secure planes during landing.
Leonhardt said the Patriot Guard's role often goes unsung, as it should.
"It's not about us," he said. "It's about the veterans."
The Patriot Guard is a volunteer group of motorcycle riders that attends various meetings and funeral services for veterans, but only by invitation, Leonhardt said after the program.
The group started with a few American Legion riders in 2006, Leonhardt said, and now has about 180,000 members throughout the country and about 5,400 in Minnesota.
Veterans Day programs like the elementary school event are important, Gempler said the day before her speech.
Like her mother had, Gempler thanks veterans whenever she has the chance, she said during her speech.
"When I see veterans," Gempler said. "I make a point to tell my kids what that means, and I always thank them for their service. If it happens to be a Vietnam Vet, I say, 'Welcome home. Thank you.'"
Information: www.minnetonka.k12.mn.us.
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
- Return to: News «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
