BY RYAN MERARD
As Veterans Day is approaching, many people have begun to show their support for veterans. On Friday, November 9, CCHS decided to honor our U.S veterans by inviting them to the school for a free lunch. Most schools in Broward County participated in this event. Students and staff were encouraged to bring U.S veteran relatives or friends.
Some schools in Broward have already been implementing this event for the past few years. For CCHS, however, this year was the first that they partook in it and they plan to make this an annual occasion in the future. As it was their first year conducting the veteran lunches, there was not a major turnout, but CCHS plans to get the word out earlier and more efficiently to increase veteran presence in the coming years.
“Hopefully next year we will get more veterans to come out,” Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) Instructor Petty Officer James Sloan said. “Especially with the students, they may have family members that are veterans so we hope that they will get the word out more and bring them out for lunch because that’s what it’s all about.”
The school wanted to thank the veterans for their service and let them know that CCHS cares about them. For the veterans in attendance, most of them enjoyed the complimentary lunch and the time to socialize with other veterans.
“This event was great,” United States Marine Corps Veteran Dan Shaw said. “I really enjoyed it and I am happy that the school invited me and fellow veterans over for lunch.”
Having the veterans come over for lunch helps the school show their appreciation for those who fought for the U.S.
“I think it’s very important to honor our veterans because they have done so much for us. They have risked their lives to protect our country and if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be the country we are today,” sophomore Steven Adelman said. “Veterans Day is a huge day in America and we must take time to celebrate it. We can’t take for granted what veterans do for us. We have to honor them. They have spent day in and day out away from their families, putting it all out for America.”
Veterans Day is a time in which one usually recognizes all the work and time away from families that America’s armed forces have had to face so that future generations could live in a better world. Many veterans and active military members hope that the upcoming youth do not overlook their sacrifice.
“These young kids need to realize what veterans did for them,” Shaw said. “They need to understand what they put on the line so they can live the way they are living right now.”
Photo by Kayla Florenco
