Veterans Day will be celebrated at Niles West with a flagpole ceremony this Friday, Nov. 11. at from 7:45 a.m to 8:00 a.m. before school.
The ceremony takes place every year to honor our country’s veterans and all the sacrifices they have made.
“The ceremony is a small tribute to all of those who have served, or are serving, our country,” assistant principal of operations and event coordinator Mark Rigby said. “We host it at the flagpole outside the nurse’s office. There will be a short speech, we will raise and lower the flag to half-staff, and then we will sing the National Anthem at the end.”
Many students at Niles West already understand the importance of honoring our veterans, even those who don’t have friends or family in the military.
“Even though none of my family is involved in the military, I think it’s important to celebrate them [veterans] for all that they’ve done,” sophomore Ramisha Haque said. “They are the ones keeping us safe, after all.”
While most people recognize the effort and sacrifice it takes to serve for the United States, very few people are willing to pursue that career path. However, sophomore Ryan Lam plans to join the Marines, and is proud of everything that veterans do for our country.
“I think that wanting to join the military isn’t something that is forced upon you. It’s your own thing that you want to do in order to help the nation become a better place,” Lam said. “Veterans have done their service so we [citizens] wouldn’t have to go out there and do what they did. There aren’t a lot of people who notice what they [veterans] have done for us.”
Lam feels that it is important to acknowklege all that veterans have done for our country and the struggles that they may be going through personally after their return.
“After their years of service, they come home to a nation that treats them like regular people, not knowing what they’ve sacrificed or the aftermath of seeing what war is really like. Veterans can come back with PTSD, depression, and all kinds of disorders. The flag ceremony is a good way to shine light onto something that very little people notice,” Lam said.
In order to support for veterans tomorrow, student activities director Katie Odell encourages students to wear their “Niles West Supports Our Military Families” long sleeve. If you would like one, stop by Student Activities today with $10. There is a limited supply and the only sizes available are small and medium.
For additional information about this event, contact Rigby at [email protected].
