Veterans Day Assembly
On November 11, Alta held the Veterans Day assembly to honor and respect the men and women who protected and served our country. Veterans had breakfast with families and soon, students began heading towards the gym. The drill team started off the assembly, coming in with some students from the JROTC. After a compelling speech, two announcers began highlighting the veterans. The choir sang ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ and students listened as a poem was recited shortly after. We honored the different branches of the military as well. Two of our Hawks, Logan and Lilly performed a handwritten song, leaving the audience amazed. One of Alta’s alumni and retired veteran, Tony Cannon made his own speech and soon after, the ballroom began performing. Principal Rowley also made a moving speech shortly after. To conclude the end of the assembly, all students and veterans sang ‘God bless America’.
Veteran Interviews
Luckily, some of our journalists got the opportunity to talk to some of the veterans. One of these veterans was James Baker, an Army veteran. In response to our questions, “Why did you join the military?, he answered, “ I was drafted during a birthday lottery where I got all three of the numbers,” a response we remember especially because it reminds us of how not all chose to join. Despite the fact that he hadn’t chosen to join the military, he still served for 25 years. Baker’s favorite memory of being in the Army was “being in some sort of field exercise and riding along in a helicopter, observing.”
Another one they were able to interview was Frank Baskett, who served in the Army branch as a combat infantryman. Regarding our questions, “What was your experience like?” he answered, “I went to the Army War College at Fort Benning, Georgia. I came out of that as a sergeant going over to Vietnam as a V5 sergeant. So I’m immediately in charge of 12 men.” Baskett’s favorite memory of being in the Army was “the fact that he didn’t lose one man that he was in charge of.”
Another wonderful veteran that we were able to get an interview with was Jim Harding. Jim’s favorite part about serving in the Air Force was the comradery he was able to have with his fellow veterans. Jim served for a total of 4 years in the Air force. He served in Vietnam and Virginia. He said that when he served in Vietnam it showed him a whole new side of the world that he had never seen. It brought him back to earth. He said it showed him how some other people lived their whole lives.
