Veterans fill stage for assembly

     Monticello High School students lined the hallway between the high school gym and the auditorium, creating a “tunnel.”

     Walking through were Monticello-area veterans – about 25 strong – to loud applause.

     It was all part of the school’s annual Veterans Day Assembly Monday.

     The event began with a breakfast in the commons, followed by the tunnel processional, after which the veterans took the stage.

     Sophomore Levi Temple sang the National Anthem, after which Todd Hospodarsky, lead organizer of the event, introduced the guest speakers, veterans Doug Kramer and Clyde Meyer, who offered words of inspiration and encouragement to the full assembly of students and staff in attendance.

     “Thanks for the warm welcome today, that was awesome,” Kramer said. “There are a lot of soldiers that didn’t get a welcome-home. I was lucky enough to.”

     Kramer told the story of what it was like to leave a young family to serve overseas, and how his son Hunter, almost 3 at the time, ran toward Doug to hold his hand as he walked toward the plane.

     “The cost for me was leaving my family and community behind,” Kramer said.

     Meyer spoke of how the privilege of living in America also comes with responsibility.

     “We are, as individuals, the sum total of our own choices,” Meyer said.

     “Our collective choices decide where this country is going and what it’s going to do. Listen, think, put as much information up here (in your head) as you can, so that when you make those decisions, they’re good decisions.

     “Thank you so much for caring enough to do what you did today. We appreciate it very much.”

     The veterans were then invited back into the hallway for the unveiling of a World War II memorial, a large plaque with the names of MHS graduates who served in WWII. The unveiling was done by veteran Armin Jacobs, and the veterans then posed for photos and then spent time visiting and finding names on the board.

     “It was wonderful to see so many veterans at our high school today,” Superintendent Brian Jaeger said. “Each of you represents what is best about this country.”