‘We did what had to be done and we truly are a band of brothers.?
That’s how Addison resident Bob Godkin summed up being a veteran Friday morning as Leonard Elementary’s fifth-graders hosted their annual Veterans Day celebration.
‘I’m proud to be a veteran,? Godkin said. ‘I still enjoy putting on my uniform and marching in the parades that we have.?
Thirty-five veterans visited the school to enjoy breakfast and be interviewed by students about their experiences in the military.
Toward the end of the celebration, some of the veterans addressed the crowd to dispense some wisdom.
‘Always cherish your friends. Never let them go,? said Leonard resident Geno Mallia, Sr., a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War.
Mallia had a friend who was wounded in the war in 1951. He didn’t see him again until 1995 when Mallia looked him up in the phone book while visiting Indiana.
His old comrade immediately recognized Mallia’s voice on the phone. The two met and chatted for three hours about old times.
‘The friends you make today, some of them will be your friends for life,? Mallia said.
Godkin urged the kids to ‘honor our flag and honor our country.?
‘Stand tall and be proud to be an American,? he said. ‘Remember freedom is not free.?
U.S. Army veteran Jim Parkhurst, a past commander of Oxford American Legion Post 108, said Veterans Day isn’t just about the veterans walking around today.
‘It’s about what all the veterans have done prior, back to Valley Forge (during America’s War of Independence),? he said.
Parkhurst said Veterans Day is about everything from preserving freedom of the press to exercising the right to vote to safeguarding the future for the youth of tomorrow.
Jim Hubbard, a decorated Vietnam War hero and commander of North Oakland Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 334, explained a veteran is someone who made sacrifices and got the job done.
‘Some of us veterans had it a little harder than other veterans, but we all made do,? said the Lake Orion resident. ‘We were ordered to do different things that maybe we didn’t like to do, but we did them.?
The veterans who attended Leonard’s celebration were very grateful to the students and had nothing but nice things to say about them and their school.
‘I’d like to thank you for inviting all of us veterans here today,? Mallia said. ‘We surely enjoy coming here and being with you students.?
‘I’ve never met a nicer bunch of fifth-graders in my life,? Hubbard said. ‘Thank you, children, for growing up so nice and making your parents very proud.?
U.S. Navy veteran Joe Schnurr, of Addison, said Leonard Elementary is a well-run school and his great-grandchildren absolutely love it there.
‘I’ve never seen happier kids,? he said.
Parkhurst urged the students to visit Post 108’s military history museum, which contains 225 uniforms from various American wars and all branches of the Armed Forces.
‘If you have the time, stop by and see us,? he said.