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Montoursville students say ‘thank you’ to veterans

Their excitement was bubbling over as over 550 students from Lyter and Loyalsock Valley elementary schools waited for their annual program honoring veterans to begin.

They had been preparing for the event for weeks, learning about the different branches of the military, the origins of Veterans' Day and the history of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Fourth graders had written about family members who were and are veterans and their music classes had been focused on preparing a song for the finale of the program.

The auditorium at the Montoursville High School where they had gathered was decorated with their artwork-big red poppies, the time honored symbol of remembrance and hope-and as the students entered, many sported red, white and blue decorations and clothing.

Everything was set to give their veteran guests a big thank you. A total of 148 veterans, among them family members, friends and neighbors attended the event which was being held for the nineteenth year.

Paula Pulizzi, who has since retired from

teaching in the district, started the event. She said that the veterans who have been honored in the past think that it's the "best program."

"It's very short and sweet, but they just think it's very important that we teach this to the students," Pulizzi said.

"I had one man who is career military and he came the first year they moved here. He said that they had gone back and forth on where to move and after the program, he said 'I know we picked the right town,'" she said.

As was evidenced by their enthusiasm, the students love the event as much as their guests.

"You ask any kid and they can tell you each of the military branches and they can tell you what their job is. Where do they protect us -- land, sea, air," Pulizzi said.

"Even the kindergarteners absolutely get into this. It's nice because we tell them to go home...talk to your veterans and ask them what they did in the military. What was their job? Did they fight in any war? It makes a nice connection between grandparents and children," she said.

Karissa Jones, who works in library technology at both schools, was in charge of organizing the event this year and echoed what Pulizzi had shared about the response from the veterans.

"There have been so many who have either emailed or told individuals within the school that they are so incredibly honored that we do this," Jones said.

"It's a huge community community event, but it also I think brings awareness to how important it is for the children to see just how much respect needs to go into honoring the people who give us our freedom every day," Jones said.

While their respective songs were singing, veterans from each branch stood and were recognized.

On a solemn note, Montoursville senior Morgan Hood played Taps to honor those family members who served and have passed away.

Featured speaker for the event was Jones' brother-in-law, Lieutenant Commander Eric Robinson, who has retired from the US Navy, who lives in Florida.

"The important word of the day is thank you, right...Everything that y'all have done as kids for us today as veterans, we appreciate you. Thank you," he said.

"I know you've already used these words to say it. Maybe thank you for your breakfast. Thank you for finding my shoes, right? But thanking a veteran goes a little bit deeper. A veteran is someone who served in the United States of America's military in one of our six branches. Some veterans may have served years ago. Some may be serving currently. They can be parents, grandparents, neighbors, teachers, or people you see around town. And you can't always tell what we look like. We might not be in uniform, and we certainly don't drive our tanks up to the Walmart to go to the grocery shop. I would imagine that parking would be pretty bad for that," he said.

Robinson pointed out that people often have an image of members of the military as soldiers on the front lines of battle, but that they can serve in many other jobs too.

"People in the military do different jobs. Some might be aviators, pilots. Some might drive ships at sea. But some are doctors. Some are nurses. Some are teachers. Some fix engines. Some work on computers. Some deliver supplies, and some prepare meals," he told the students.

Robinson also shared with them different terms that the various branches of the military use for common things, such as scuttlebutt for members of the Navy is a drinking fountain and food for some branches is chow.

"So, different words have different meanings, but with our different uniforms and our different jobs, we all share a commitment to serve in this country," Robinson said.

He then asked the fourth graders who were seated on the stage what it means to be brave.

One student said it means to be courageous and not afraid, while another said courageous and kind and willing to help.

"Being brave doesn't mean that you never feel afraid. So every one of us that volunteered to serve our country at some point in time might have been scared, might have been afraid, might have questioned what we were doing. We all took an oath to serve our country, and we all stepped up to be courageous," he said.

"Sometimes being brave is doing something important even when it feels difficult or scary. You practice courage too...Maybe you tell the truth after making a mistake, or you can ask for help when you don't understand something," he added.

He pointed out that Veterans Day reminds people of service.

"Service means doing something to help other people. You don't have to be a grown-up to do that. You can help a classmate or a teacher clean up," he said.

He also encouraged them to reach out to students who are new and may not have made friends yet, which, he said, happens to children in military families where their parents are transferred to another base.

"Be courageous. Be brave. Make them your friend. You can help. You can help welcome a new student and you can listen sometimes when a friend needs help," Robinson said.

"These small acts of kindness matter. They help make your school, your neighborhoods, and your country a better place. Saying thank you is one of those acts of kindness that can mean so much to a veteran. If you meet a veteran, you can simply say thank you for your service. You can make a card or draw a picture," he said.

"Sometimes serving means being far from home. It can mean missing birthdays, holidays, bedtimes, stories, or hugs from the people you love. That's one reason you say thank you, and why that matters to us to recognize the bravery, time, hard work, and sacrifices that come along with serving," he said.

Addressing the veterans in the audience, Robinson said, "To the veterans here today, thank you for your service. Thank you for your hard work. It's been an honor to serve alongside my brothers and sisters that have cared and sacrificed for this country."