Kylie Totten
EE Editor-In-Chief ‘24
Veterans Day, is a day set aside in America to honor and thank veterans for their service in the armed forces. To celebrate the day, all seniors were invited to the auditorium for the annual Veterans Day assembly. The event, organized by social studies department head Mrs. Rubano, gave students the opportunity to hear the stories of local veterans.
The assembly began with a quick opening from Mr. Manual, followed by the veterans entrance. The attending men and women are active and retired members of the armed forces. They represent the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard, Coast Guard, and Marine Core. Collectively, they served during events from Vietnam to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the First Gulf War to the War on Terror.
Each veteran was given the chance to introduce themself, say what branch they served in, and share any other information or advice they wanted with the student body. Some thanked students for the warm welcome, others shared stories about their time serving and the impact it had on their lives.
Following this, the assembly was opened up to student questions for the veterans. Students were given this opportunity as a means for more personalized understanding of the experience of serving in the armed forces. Students questioned what life was like after service, how veterans’ families reacted, what lessons they learned from the experience, and the impact service had on their world view.
Throughout the two periods, there were several musical performances centered around the theme of honoring soldiers. The chambers singers, directed by Mr. Wasko, sang the Star Spangled Banner, Thank You Soldiers, and God Bless America. The band, directed by Mr. Murphy, played a medley of all the songs for each military branch. After each branch was announced, the band welcomed veterans of the branch, as well as students who had family members who had served in the branch, to stand, giving students the opportunity to honor their own family veterans.
Assembly attendees included Town Selectman Vicky Tesoro, Superintendent Dr. Martin Semmel, State Representative David Rutigliano, as well as several members of Trumbull’s Board of Education.
When asked about the work that goes into setting up the assembly, Mrs. Rubano responded, “Although putting together the program requires a lot of planning, it is truly an honor for me to do this for our veterans. I so value the freedoms that we, as Americans, have, and recognize that we wouldn’t have them without the veterans. It has also made me appreciate the sacrifices that my father, uncles, and father in law made during World War II, as well as my cousins and friends during the Vietnam War era. The Veterans Day Program is an event that I treasure and look forward to every year.”
As a member of the senior class, I would like to thank Mrs. Rubano, Mr. Manuel, all the town speakers, and especially all the attending veterans. Thank you for your time and, once again, thank you for your service.