jackiedoherty.org

I attended Veteran’s Day celebrations at Lowell High School, as well as the Butler and Daley middle schools yesterday. Each event featured patriotic music and speeches, special guests of honor who included veterans, along with salutes to our flag.  As they were meant to do, these celebrations cause us to pause and remember the great gift we have in being members of a free, democratic society and to be grateful for those men and women who have sacrificed to protect those freedoms.  I couldn’t help but be moved by our children singing “home of the free and the brave” and “America, America, God shed his grace on thee,” or to remember the sacrifices of my own loved ones and the many I don’t know, who have fought and died for us, or returned from battle changed forever. The celebrations, moments of silence, and prayers for our soldiers are important, but the real way we honor our veterans is to teach our children about their sacrifice. What I saw in our schools yesterday were the diverse young people who make up our city and who are the faces of our nation’s future respectfully listening to the stories of our veterans and enthusiastically participating in the programs. We teach our children about our soldiers and the awful sacrifices of war, and by doing so, we honor our veterans in a way that is lasting and holds promise for a brighter, hopefully more peaceful, future.