A veteran is someone who, at one point in life, wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America, for an amount up to and including his or her life
. Even though Veterans Day is on the 11th, today VCHS and the local VFW Post pause to honor three local veterans and to also remember the sacrifices made by all of America’s veterans.
My grandfather was a veteran and my hero, and because of that, Veterans Day holds a special place for me. As a 34-year old husband and father of two boys, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and shortly afterwards found himself as a machine gunner fighting Nazis along France’s Brittany Coast. Within a few months, he was seriously wounded in his foxhole by an incoming mortar bomb. My grandfather survived, but no one else in his foxhole did. After his convalescence, my grandfather returned to his family and life in the U.S. – a member of the Greatest Generation. What do I most admire about my grandfather? His patriotism and his service and sacrifice for his country and others.
When we talk about character at Vail Christian, patriotism, and all that it entails, is one of the qualities I want to see instilled in our Saints. That’s why we take a few moments at the Veterans Day Assembly to recognize and honor VCHS alumni who are serving or who are preparing to serve in the United States Armed Forces. I also want our students to consider if they might be called to serve their country in this way. In the last two years, we have several alumni who are doing just that: Isabelle Carlson ’18, Villanova Navy ROTC; Tom Engleby ’18, Air Force Academy; Jake Nowicki ’18, Norwich Army ROTC; Zach Farris ‘19, Air Force; Alex Hilty ’19 TCU Air Force ROTC.
These young men and women make us proud – their patriotism should bolster ours. And indeed, they are living out our school’s mission…
lives of purpose, service, and leadership.
