School children, parents and community honor veterans

  • Published
  • By Maj. Karen Roganov
  • Team Eglin Public Affiars
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  A visible sight of military might roared over the Eglin All Wars Memorial and banked left. As the F-15 noise subsided, a group of children's singing voices took precedence, "what can you say about our heroes? We say thank you, thank you, thank you..."

Some 450 Eglin Elementary children and others gathered here Nov. 8 to pay tribute to veterans with an almost two-hour celebration of singing, flag waving, and presentations in reverence to the upcoming Veterans Day holiday.

"The bricks of the memorial floor have the names of veterans," said second-grader Glenn Daniels in a confident voice. "If you see a brick with a cross, it means that the person was killed in action in wartime."

While tending to a baby in a stroller and filming Glenn's speaking role, mother Carrie Daniels seemed satisfied with his performance.

"He did fantastic," she said. "I thought he'd get nervous but he didn't." Carrie along with husband Tech Sgt. Scott Daniels, 33rd Maintenance Squadron, practiced with their son on clarity for two weeks preceding the event.

At one point the performers joined voices with the spectators and recited the "Pledge of Allegiance."

Dovetailing off that respect to country, the keynote speaker, Cmdr. Scott Kartvedt, commander of Naval F-35 squadron VFA-101, brought five children in front of the group to recite the pledge in five parts and reflect upon what the words meant to them.

He relayed how the spirit of the pledge is similar to what their parents say when they take the oath of enlistment or office upon entering military service.

The day's program consisted of 22 distinct displays of music, marching in place, a Presidential proclamation, quote reading, safety-patrol participation and more from every student there. But it wasn't always this inclusive and immense.

Twenty years ago, only second-graders participated. Then it developed into the entire school and then the base and community, according to Sandy Day, the school's music specialist who orchestrated the choreography and songs.

For those not present, third-grader Gavin Smith summed it up during his role of the America's White Table enactment.

"We put an empty chair at the white table for the Americans who are not here."