PSD honors veterans

By Staff, 11/10/17 1:00 PM

PRESCOTT – Area veterans gathered in the Prescott High School cafeteria Friday morning, where they were honored with a program and brunch.

The cafeteria was decorated in red, white and blue, and had a good crowd for the event, including several members of the Benjamin Culp Chapter of the DAR. The program kicked off with kindergarten students singing “Good Morning to You”, following it with a different, updated, version of “Comin’ Round the Mountain”, which featured a young lady driving her “hot rod” and wearing “pink pajamas”, according to the lyrics.

Missy Walley, school improvement specialist, had all the students present stand and close their eyes. She said events like this become habitual, but this shouldn’t happen. She told the students to imagine making the decision to joined the Armed Forces and have to leave their families and friends, not knowing when, or if, they’d ever return to see them again, or what shape they may be in if they did come back.

“You’re saying goodbye to everyone you know. It’s a hard decision to make, walking away from your family and fighting for people you don’t know, fighting for people who haven’t been born yet. It’s amazing to be able to do this,” she said.

Events such as this, Walley continued, don’t need to become habitual, and the students need to understand the magnitude of the decisions the men and women in the military made in choosing to serve. “You need to understand the sacrifices they’ve made to do what they did and why, as well as the depth of their scars.

“We send you love, gentle, patient, healing love,” she told the veterans in the audience. “Our veterans need to remember they are loved. Thank you for everything you’ve done. We do this so future generations will understand what you’ve done.”

Along with the kindergarten students singing, several members of the PHS band performed a patriotic melody, Cade Haynie played “God Bless America/America the Beautiful” on his guitar, and Kendall Laughard sang “God Bless the USA”.

The brunch was prepared by the school’s food safety program and FCCLA.

Walley reminded everyone there will be a Veteran’s Day parade at 4 p.m. Saturday. Those in the parade will line up at Central Baptist Church.