Celebrating veterans changed to keep all safe

This year, COVID19 has interrupted many of the things that intrinsically bring people together.

One of those things canceled this year were the Veterans Day ceremonies in our local schools, a chance for the veterans to be brought in and honored for serving their country.

Marion Local schools normally brings in a guest speaker who has served, hearing their story and experiences. A local boy scout troop marches in community veterans before the national anthem is played; each service branch is recognized with members in attendance who served in those branches standing for recognition, before a reading of a poem and the playing of taps.

“It helped give everyone a personal (connection) because most of them would know the individual or a grandchild of one of the veterans,” said Marion Local Spanish teacher Julie Overman, who helped put together the alternative ways to honor local veterans this year with Marion Local guidance counselor Jenny Dippold.

“(Jenny and I) were talking about ways to honor veterans, how we could say, ‘thank you’ to the community members that put their lives on the line. It’s something a lot of us never experienced, going to war,” said Overman. “We thought it might make a bigger impact by having students writing thank you letters to them for their service to our country to provide us with the freedoms we have today.”

“That seemed to be our first pitch,” added Student Council President Alex Broering of the letters. “If we could get them letters to let them know that the community is still there, even if we couldn’t visit them in person because of the isolation, it just made sense.”

Students in the districts received a paper that let them know they could honor a veteran in the community, they just needed to give the student council their information.

The student council then wrote and distributed personal letters to veterans in addition to a garden flag with their service branch.

“I think it brings a special touch,” said Overman. “People don’t do that as much anymore, write hand written letters, to say thank you.”

“I wanted to let them know the community was there and we were thankful for them,” said Broering on what went into his letter. “That was the obvious start. Then I mentioned I have a brother that's in the Marines. I was able to kind of relate how, our only worry while he’s in the marines is, ‘is he

going to come home for Christmas?’ There’s no fear there. So, during war time that’s got to be terrifying to think, ‘is he going to be okay?’ I can’t even imagine. Just really wanted to show how much we appreciate everything they’ve done for us.

Broering received a letter back from one veteran and a phone call from another.

“It was a surprise to me,” said Bob Dippold, who served in the Army Reserves. “I came home and there was a flag in my front yard and then there was a letter. I wasn’t exactly sure where it came from. But it was an honor in the first place. Then, when I read the letter, I was very appreciative to the student council, that put this on in light of the fact they couldn’t have the assembly this year.

“I was initially surprised, I didn’t know who it was,” said Broering on receiving a phone call. “Then, he mentioned the letters we sent to them. I made sure to let him know we truly appreciate the entirety of it. We both went back and forth thanking each other for everything.”

Brooke Wilker, a freshman at Marion Local and member of student council, wrote a letter to Army National Guard veteran Carl Kremer.

“I just thanked him for risking his life for other people,” said Wilker on creating her letter. “I asked him what really made him think about going there? What encouraged him? And just how strong he was to help everyone and serve for us.”

Kremer told the Community Post he wasn’t expecting it at all.

I thought, ‘boy that is nice,’” said Kremer on coming home one day to find the flag and letter. “It’s the first time. I don’t belong to an American legion or anything either, I thought that was sweet of somebody to take the time to do that, I felt I needed to respond to her.”

“I wasnt expecting a response,” said Wilker. “I got a letter back barely a week after (we sent them). It meant a lot for him to respond back and tell me what he went through.”

Simon Mescher, the senior boys representative on the student council, said he spent a whole afternoon thinking about what to write in his letter, eventually receiving a letter back and even a post on social media to thank him for writing the letter.

“I didn’t expect us to do much, normally we do an assembly, without being able to do that I didn’t think we were going to do anything this year,” said Mescher. “I thought was an extremely good way to include the veterans and let them know Marion Local cares about them.”

The student council was able to distribute over 80 flags to the veterans in the Marion Local community, from all the service branches, from Yorkshire to Osgood to Maria Stein to Chickasaw to Montezuma to Casella to Carthagena and even to some Minster addresses.

A reminder that even in a unique year, people can still come together to celebrate those that have made sacrifices for the rest of us.