FORT LORAMIE — Fort Loramie Schools celebrated Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 11, with a community-wide assembly. A warm breakfast was provided to all veterans and their guests by the school’s National Honor Society chapter. A district-wide assembly followed in the high school gymnasium with students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade in attendance.
At the Veterans Breakfast prior to the assembly, all 103 veterans in attendance received a commemorative ball cap in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the formation of the American Legion. The hats were compliments of the American Legion Post 355 in Fort Loramie.
The area veterans began the assembly with a procession into the gymnasium to a standing ovation by all of those in attendance. Every veteran in attendance was individually recognized as roll was called with Vernon Eilerman, a Korean War veteran being the last to be recognized as the oldest veteran in attendance at the age of 91.
The program, which is planned and executed by the Old School History Club of Fort Loramie High School, included a speech by Joe Seger who spoke about the American Legion and provided information to the students about the services and the activities that the American Legion is involved in. He also spoke about the history of Veterans Day and the importance of recognizing the day.
The program then included a White Table Ceremony which was adapted by the History Club’s adviser Brad Turner. The ceremony used the main themes from a children’s book called “America’s White Table” by Margot Theis Raven, but had some alterations to it to include the recognition of all veterans. The ceremony was full of symbolism as every aspect of the table setting had meaning.
Of the program, Brad Turner had this to say, “We’ve hosted an assembly each year for the past 14 years. We try to keep things meaningful, educational, and entertaining to make sure our veterans keep coming back. This year’s was a special ceremony with a lot of meaning behind it and was well received by the veterans and the students. It’s a great opportunity for the students to show their respect and admiration for the service our veterans have given.”
