Time for a nation to reflect

Many area schools celebrated Veterans Day with an assembly honoring local veterans and their families.

At Jackson High School, members of the choir passed out red and white carnations to veterans and their families, while senior Taylor Almond stood on stage donning his Army dress uniform.

Almond is a member of the National Guard unit in Jackson. He attended basic training over the summer, before his senior year.

"I know I haven't really served in a war or anything, but it feels great to be a part of something," Almond said.

When the Boys Choir sang a tribute to Sgt. Bob Davis, Almond said he got teary-eyed.

Marine Lt. Col. Glenn Schneider of Cape Girardeau spoke at Notre Dame Regional High School about soldiers he's known or has heard about to make students think more about the people serving in the military and less about the military as a an organization.

In respect to the veterans in the audience, principal Brother David Migliorino asked all Notre Dame students to leave the assembly in silence.

Saxony Lutheran celebrated Veterans Day differently from the assemblies and traditional honor ceremonies.

In Laura Hayden's six classes Friday, each student made a quilt square for Marine Comfort Quilts.

Marine Comfort Quilts is a not-for-profit group that provides a memorial quilt to the next of kin of fallen soldiers from any branch. The group has so far made 1,353 quilts for the 2,057 armed forces members who have died in Iraq.

Marine Comfort Quilts started by Jan Lang of suburban St. Louis, the mother of Lance Cpl. Alex Lang, a Marine in the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, Charlie Company was listed by the Department of Defense as missing in action and after 18 other men from that unit were killed on March 23, 2003 in Iraq. Lance Cpl. Alex Lang was later found alive.

The group has enough volunteers to sew the quilts together, but it runs out of quilt squares. That's why Hayden asked her classes to make squares.

"A lot of times people think high schoolers are so inwardly focused; realistically they are really compassionate about other people and they want a way to help and feel that they are doing something and this is a great way for them to feel like they are involved in the war process," Hayden said.

Taking time out of class to make the quilts is especially meaningful to sophomore Ben Skelton, whose father, Maj. Steve Skelton, has been in Iraq for the last seven months.

Ben Skelton said his family has gotten closer, but he still misses his father.

Ben Skelton said that when he learned that his class would not just be making quilt squares but also letters and Christmas cards to send to his father, he thought it was a great idea.

The cards and letters will come as a surprise to Maj. Steve Skelton; Ben Skelton said he hasn't told him about it.

Because Veterans Day is a time to remember those who have served in the military, Ben Skelton said he thinks it's great that his classmates are taking the time to realize what those soldiers are doing for them.

Deanna Dippold, also a sophomore, runs on the cross country team with Ben Skelton and admires his strength.

"Ben hasn't seen his dad in months, and that's just unreal. I couldn't go any days without talking to my parents," Dippold said.

Principal Craig Ernstmeyer said he sees the benefits of spending the day not on curriculum, but on making Veterans Day tangible to students and supports Hayden's decision to spend the day working on quilt squares, letters and cards.

"We're losing a day in class, but the families that we're making these quilts for lost a son, or a daughter, or a husband, or a father, or a mother, and so it's more than worth it," Hayden said.

In geography class, Hayden said, she also teaches the students about world events that affect their lives -- and the war in Iraq is something that does affect these students.

If they can talk about how the war affects them and talk about their feelings those discussions are more important than if they can name all the countries in Europe, Hayden said.

Letters and cards addressed to Maj. Steve Skelton can be sent to Laura Hayden at Saxony Lutheran High School at 2004 Saxony Drive, Jackson, Mo., 63755, and she will forward them.

ameyer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127