Veteran's Day is a special day inside Gaylord Middle School
GAYLORD, MI -- Celebrations were held across the state to celebrate Veteran's Day.
One of the bigger celebrations every year is in Gaylord.
Gaylord Middle School has a special program every year, where veterans are honored by the younger generations.
There’s not a song or an individual thank you that can give those who have served and sacrificed the exact amount of respect they deserve, but at Gaylord Middle School, songs, and hundreds of children, did the best they could.
More than 220 veterans from all war eras were at the school today to be honored for their heroism, which is the act of giving his or her life for something bigger than oneself. For 15 years, the school has put on this special Veteran's Day program, and each year, it gets bigger and bigger.
"This is phenomenal, I’ve missed one time in 15 years, the school just does a fantastic program for saluting our veterans," says veteran Ray Gilmore.
"It brings tears to my eyes I say every year. About 12 years I’ve been actively attending it, I found out about it, and I’ve also had a lot of friends come to it," says veteran David Chandler.
Sam Sarchet, a Gaylord student, sang to the American Heroes an original song he wrote just for them.
"I’ve met a lot of veterans, my grandpa was a veteran, people who have served in the service are important to me," says Sarchet.
"What we said to the veterans this morning is look up at those stands, at the young people. Job well done, because we're all safe, we're blessed to be here, in a beautiful town, beautiful school, so we say to them job well done," said Gaylord Middle School Principal Jerry Belanger.
But for the heroes, they say today's great, but now, their humble, and that's because it's not over.
"It’s just a support of the troops overseas now. And I just ask them that we all pray for them and keep them in safe's way," says Gilmore.
And as they left, for some veterans, a parade they may have never received. Students lined up and cheered as loud as they could, thanking those who have made this country the home of the free and the land of the brave.
