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Honoring our veterans

By Donna Bumgarner
When veteran organizations like American Legion Post 70 work hand-in-hand with teachers to get something done, it usually does.
On November 11th, the culmination of a lot of planning and hard work paid off for Daniel McGlohorn and Chris Martin, high school social studies teachers; Robert Gunning, Band Director, and Thomas Crisp, Commander of American Legion Post 70.
For the second year, they have collaborated on a special program to honor veterans, which is more than an assembly for the students; it is a way to incorporate community and school to show our veterans how much they are appreciated.
The program was held on November 11th at 10 a.m. in the gym at the school. It was the first time that all of the students were involved in the special assembly. Coach Haney, Principal of the school, welcomed everyone and introduced Representative Jeff Duncan, a special visitor to the school.
Duncan was instrumental in keeping our high school from being closed in 2003 and strongly supports the school. Haney also introduced the veterans seated at the front and asked them to stand and be recognized.
Following the opening comments, two young men from Boy Scout Troop 200, Matt Swain and Hunter Wagner, presented the colors.
Then Marquis Reed, WCS High School Student Body President, led the students, faculty, staff, and veterans in the Pledge of Allegiance. Afterwards, Adrian Chick stood before them and sang “The Star Spangled Banner.” It was truly breathtaking.
The powerful words and the familiar tune echoed throughout the gym.
Next, Adrian Chick shared the history and the legacy of Veteran’s Day. Following Adrian’s recitation, The Whitmire Concert Band played “America the Beautiful.”
After the band finished, Mayor Tim Carroll introduced Representative Jeff Duncan.
Representative Duncan complimented the students on their recitations and music, and then said, “It’s great to be in Whitmire Community School. It’s my first time in the new gym. Wow! You have a great home here. I’m glad to see the school is successful and thriving.”
He then expressed his (and his family’s) heartfelt gratitude to the veterans seated before him.
Duncan spoke about the fall of the Berlin Wall, a wall between Communist countries and free countries that was erected after World War II. He asked the students if they could travel freely from place to place and reminded them that there were many other places like Germany once was where people do not have the freedom to come and go as they please. Representative Duncan shared stories of men and women who had to climb to a second or third floor of a building just to see what “freedom” meant to their neighbors on the other side of the wall because they were forbidden to leave the Communist country. Soldiers with guns and guard dogs manned the wall and kept them “locked in.” He stated that they could see what freedom was like and they wanted it. They had wanted it for more than forty years.
Duncan also referred to the 1700’s when America wasn’t even a country; it was ruled by a repressive monarch. It had to fight to gain its independence. He brought up Jamestown, a small place with little to offer, but still much better than where they were, a place without freedom. He said that he wondered why they would leave their homes and travel across the ocean to such a place, but he came to an understanding: They wanted to be free.
Duncan then reminded everyone about the symbols of freedom such as the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell and quoted Patrick Henry, “Give me liberty or give me death!” He asked the students, visitors, and faculty to pause and remember that they should be prepared to go to war for freedom because the war on terrorism is not just in places like Afghanistan and Iraq; it could be right here in America. He reminded the students, citizens, and faculty that the veterans who served their country in the past kept us from being denied our freedom. He added that those who currently serve also fight for our freedom. In closing, he encouraged everyone to say “thank you” to any veteran they encountered and said to the veterans seated before him, “Thank you. God bless you and God bless America.”
Louie Dickerson and Haley Erskine gave the history of the five military branches after Duncan finished his talk, and the concert band played “Marches of the Armed Forces.” Representative Duncan then presented an American flag and South Carolina flag to Commander Thomas Crisp of American Legion Post 70 for the Veterans’ Memorial at the cemetery.
Everyone who attended enjoyed the program. Coach Haney plans to make the program an annual event and hopes next year’s program is even bigger and better than this year’s.

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