For most students, hearing that 6 a.m. alarm signaling that it’s time to get up and ready for school is an unpleasant experience. On Veterans Day, many students claim it’s even harder to get out of their comfortable beds knowing the surrounding school districts have the day off. Trust me, my bedroom is never a place I’m dying to depart from before the sun is out; however, I believe it’s extremely important that we sacrifice a sliver of our time to recognize the people
who sacrificed everything for our country.
Veterans Day falls on Nov. 11, marking the end of World War 1. The holiday recognizes all veterans for their service, sacrifice, and dedication to our country. Most of us know these facts about Veterans Day, but for those of us who don’t have loved ones who served, it can be hard to truly personalize and understand the significance of the holiday.
Although we can all appreciate and thank our veterans for their time and sacrifices, most teenagers sitting at home on Veterans Day aren’t spending their time off researching the holiday or listening to veterans speak about their experiences. With schoolwork, activities, and jobs, time off usually means catching up on rest, work, or spending time with friends. Therefore, East Lyme schools deciding to spend the day learning about the holiday, talking to veterans, and hearing their stories is a practical and meaningful way to ensure we appreciate the significance of
service to our country.
Being able to hear veterans’ stories at school every year opened my eyes to the reality of what it means to serve for our country. Hearing from people who have actually served in the armed forces can develop a sense of empathy and gratitude within us that’s hard to feel when watching or reading about Veterans Day through a screen. Personally, when I’m learning about the facts of a war for an upcoming history test, it’s more likely that I’m focusing on big events and dates for a multiple-choice section rather than focusing on the people who were actually jumping from air crafts or stampeding from boats in battles. Thankfully, our generation has never been alive during a draft. Therefore, reading stories about those times can almost feel like fictional stories that we see in the movies. I have no idea what
it was like to receive a letter telling me I must go fight for our country.
On the other hand, meeting veterans and listening to them discuss what it’s like to serve, seeing the emotion that still permeates decades later, and understanding the realities of what it means to be a veteran gives me an entirely new sense of empathy for the emotional, physical, and mental battles real people had to face. It’s easy to see how impactful veterans’ testimonies are in our assembly every year, as it’s the one day that you could hear a pin drop in a room full of one thousand high school students.
For those with loved ones in the armed forces, our school’s Veterans Day is an opportunity to show pride for their family members. For students, the day is an opportunity to more deeply understand service. For the veterans who join us at our assembly, the day is all about feeling recognized, appreciated, and heard.
It’s impossible to feel the weight of the meaning of service through a screen. Therefore, while getting out of bed in the
morning may be a daunting task for our age group, knowing we get to go to school to deepen our understanding of the people who fought for the values of our country should feel easier on Veterans Day. Hitting snooze is a privilege that our veterans did not have.
Learn from our history, recognize those who served, and understand the significance of Veterans Day.
