School salutes veterans

CROTHERSVILLE - An oversized American flag - with its red and white stripes, blue union and 50 stars - was unfurled over the bleachers in the Crothersville High School gymnasium Monday.

The American flag is an important symbol of the nation, representing the rights and freedom everyone enjoys today.

But the ones who helped make those things possible - veterans who bravely served the country - also are important symbols of America, and they were saluted during a Veterans Day convocation Monday in the CHS gymnasium.

Veteran Zack Nease, 63, Crothersville, said the program was moving, especially when he watched one of his granddaughters help unfold the flag.

"I wanted to see that," Nease said. "That meant a lot to me. I had goose bumps. I had tears in my eyes. It was a great feeling for me, and it was a great feeling for my wife."

His wife, Grace, was among those from the community who gathered to honor the five veterans who answered roll call near the beginning of the convocation. Students in grades kindergarten through 12 also were at the program.It was Nease's first time to attend the school's Veterans Day convocation, which has been organized several years by Crothersville FFA.

Nease, who is originally from Austin, was drafted for the Vietnam War and served two years with the Army. He spent time on the home front at Fort Knox, Ky., and Fort Bragg, N.C., and overseas during the war. He was a medical corpsman for an infantry company.

"I've seen things and done things I haven't even told my wife about," he said of the war, which claimed the life of 57,000 military personnel.

Nease was wounded during the war and he is a disabled veteran. He also has dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder from the war.

"The bad part was leaving home and just being away for such a long time," he said of the war. "It was a hostile environment, and we lost so many GIs."

The good part for him, however, was getting the chance to see a part of the world he won't see again.

But, he said, "I always wondered why I came back, why the good Lord let me come back to where I am today."

A few years ago, Nease had the chance to visit the traveling Vietnam War wall in Vincennes.

"One happy and one sad time were both together when I got to see the wall of all 57,000 names on it," he said. "To actually see all those names and seeing the names of fellows that were killed, I just couldn't contain myself. That was a highlight for me."

While he said some of the kids at Monday's program may not understand what veterans went through, it's important to learn about it and hear about it.

During the program, Crothersville FFA members Joey Needler and Leah Schill shared a poem, and member Erica Doyle read an essay she wrote for her junior English class about her grandfather, who is a veteran. Doyle included words about past wars and the effects of each.

"It was a neat experience because it was an essay topic I thought I would never write about," Doyle said.

The theme given by teacher Zabrina Nicholson started with "The service and sacrifice by America's veterans benefit today's youth by ...," and the students had to write the rest of the essay.

Doyle's essay was among those picked by Nicholson, and some are in the running for a scholarship.

"It was something different and it was something you can do with your own experience," Doyle said of the essay.

Doyle said it's important to have a Veterans Day program.

"We're taking on a huge responsibility of putting together a convocation, especially for our whole school, community, veterans, other FFA members and the state FFA members," she said. "It makes our school look good and it's good other schools look up to our school. It's a positive outlook instead of a negative one."

Schill and Needler were glad to be a part of the program as well.

"We want to honor our veterans because they really don't get much appreciation from the community, and that's our way of saying thank you," Schill said.
Needler added, "It shows them that we care to get everyone together in the community and show them our appreciation."

To start the program, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1083, Crothersville, posted the American and Indiana flags.

Also during the program, Indiana state FFA officers explained what each of the 13 steps of folding a flag means. The junior-senior high school concert choir, under the direction of Peggy Adams, performed a patriotic number, and Joe Law led the 18-piece band in "America the Beautiful."

Freshman Daniel Phillips and senior Michele Spicer, both members of the choir, shared their thoughts after the program.

"It puts the students' thoughts into perspective and how important (Veterans Day) is," Spicer said.

"It helps us think how all of the veterans gave us all the freedoms and rights," Phillips said. "It's really cool how they did that."

Nease said Veterans Day offers a chance to reflect.

"I reflect back and think about the guys I was with, and the names and faces that have escaped me in the past," he said. "I know I'll never see them again, but I have great, fond memories of the guys and gals I was with in Vietnam and other parts of the world. Veterans Day, to me, is just a recall."

Now that he's aware of CHS' program, Nease said, "If the good Lord's willing, I'll be back."

Veterans Day programs today

Emerson Veterans Day Ceremony, 9:15 a.m.

Cortland Elementary program begins at 10:20 a.m.

VFW Post 10807 and American Legion Post 112, steps of the Jackson County Courthouse, 11 a.m.

American Legion Post 89 ceremony at the post in Seymour, 11 a.m.

VFW Post 1083, ceremony at the post in Crothersville, 11 a.m.

Redding Elementary drama performance, "Veterans - We Salute You" at 6:30 p.m.

Look for stories in Wednesday's edition and online at TribTown.com