Meadows Valley Honors Veterans
Meadows Valley honored their veterans this Veteran’s Day with a well attended dinner at the Community Center and a school assembly organized by 9th grader Buck Howard with help from his advisor Tashia Kerby.
The Community Center Dinner took place Monday, October 10 with over 60 people in attendance. Brett and Sally Carpenter offered their musical talents for the night’s entertainment. Center volunteers made a delicious meatloaf dinner with plenty of fixings and provided a beautiful cake for dessert.
After many years without a Veteran’s Day assembly, Howard decided to bring the celebration back for his school project. He invited Marine Corps veteran Jeremy Reynaga to speak. Kerby welcomed everyone with a quick but impactful encouragement about protecting freedom with a quote from Ronald Reagan. She encouraged the students, saying, “I feel pretty passionate about this...every day I wake up in this country I am super grateful...We would not have our freedom if not for our veterans...”
Kerby continued saying, “it is not guaranteed that our freedom will be around forever. Every generation has to find it just as important as I do and fight for it and protect it. And that’s why days like today are so important. If you know anybody who has served in the military and you have never said thank you and told them how much you appreciate them, today of all days is that day.”
Howard spoke about his Dad being an Army veteran and how he wanted to be like him. He said his Dad’s example showed him how to be a role model. He shared what Veteran’s Day is, how it came to be, and encouraged his fellow students saying “it is important to show all veterans our gratitude for what they have done for our country”.
Reynaga shared about his time in the Marine Corps including stories from boot camp, deployment to Iraq, and answering student questions which ranged from relationships with other Marines and various vehicles and weapons he used. Honor was also given to Marine Corps veteran George Bevan who was in attendance with his wife Joanne. Bevan brought some items to be shared including a Marine Officer cover and signs to show the Corps eagle, globe, and anchor insignia.
Thank you to all veterans. We appreciate your service.
