Hiland NHS members connect with vets
Dean Hummel, a former veteran of World War II, was honored for his service time during the annual Hiland National Honor Society veterans recognition assembly, which was held at the Reese Center on Tuesday, Dec. 12.
Over the past decades many Americans have gone to fight for freedom during global wars. Some of those freedom fighters were from Holmes County, and their sacrifice and service should not be forgotten.
Thanks to the members of Hiland High School’s National Honor Society, those veterans’ stories and their service to their nation in the name of freedom have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.
On Tuesday, Dec. 12 at the Perry Reese Community Center at Hiland High School, the members of the Hiland National Honor Society payed homage to Holmes County’s veterans in a ceremony that has created great meaning for everyone involved, and the entire student body and staff at Hiland High and Middle School attended to pay their respect.
The veterans received personal invitations to the event, and the NHS members made sure the red carpet was rolled out to honor America’s heroes.
“This is a very important ceremony that we do to honor our veterans in our community,” said Jen Woods, Hiland NHS president. “We feel like it is very important to show all of the students here at Hiland that this is an honor to have them come here and to recognize them for their service in the name of our country. We simply can’t thank them enough, and to be able to offer them our thanks is wonderful.”
The assembly began with the recital of the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the national anthem by the Hiland Varsity Singers. Hiland senior Lexi Kaufman then welcomed all in attendance, saying, “The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. They have dedicated their lives to their country and deserve to be recognized for their commitment.”
Lakota Mast then read Roger J. Robicheau’s poem, “We Stood for Freedom.” That was followed by the Hiland Varsity Singers’ men’s chorus presenting the haunting song, “Tell My Father.”
Each of the veterans were then honored individually for their service to their country with a huge standing ovation given following the final presentation.
The NHS then presented absentee veteran Les Skelly with an honorary Hiland High School diploma. Skelly, a former Hiland student, was scheduled to graduate in 1968 but was drafted into the military before he could graduate. Skelly went overseas to serve as an infantryman with the U.S. Army, where he was badly wounded in an explosion. Fortunately doctors were able to save his life, and he was transferred to a U.S. base in Japan to recover.
Skelly eventually came back to the United States, serving the remainder of his service time in South Carolina before moving back to Ohio. He currently resides in Holmes County with his wife Diane.
“While it is unfortunate that Les was unable to attend today’s assembly, we as a community want to extend our gratitude to Les and his service to our country,” Wood said. “This year the East Holmes Board of Education will be presenting Les with an honorary diploma as an extension of our appreciation.”
The Hiland band then played the songs of each of the five service branches before the Varsity Singers sang “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.” The Wooster Color Guard then retied the colors, and the playing of taps put the finishing touches on the meaningful ceremony.
“This is really special. It is every year,” said Conner Lee, Hiland NHS advisor. “I don’t know if a lot of kids realize this, but when these veterans served their country, they were the same age as our high school juniors and seniors. Our kids are excited to go off to college next year or to go out and start working, and these guys were going to serve in wars. That’s unbelievable to think about. Hopefully this event helps bring that into focus for us.”
Lee said one of the most exciting things about this event is that it allows the veterans to sit down afterward and make connections with the NHS members. The ceremony is always followed by a time of cookies and punch in the lobby of the Reese Center, and it is there that the students can talk to the veterans and make connections to learn more about their time in service, their lives today and to gain some valuable insight.
“That interaction is invaluable,” Lee said. “We had a couple of kids who were kind of timidly hanging out on the side, and one of the color guards went and grabbed about four of them and pulled seats up and asked them to tell him about themselves.”
One meaningful purpose for the event is to create an opportunity for the veterans to unite and share stories both old and new. It is a time of catching up, sharing memories and stories, and reconnecting.
Lee said some of these veterans don’t see each other very much outside of this event, so to be able to bring them together each year is enjoyable.
“This gives us a chance to see each other again,” veteran Junior Vaughn said. “I enjoy that. These are some great guys, and we do have a shared experience having served our country.”
Vaughn said teens today don’t have any idea as to the magnitude of what it meant to serve in World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War. He noted that his experience wasn’t unique. He served in the Korean War and was guarding prisoners in Inchon. He said some of the sites and the enormity of the war was incredibly new and overwhelming for a young man from Holmes County, Ohio.
These types of stories and many more were shared with the NHS students as they celebrated the gift of service each veteran gave for his country.
Hiland NHS member Alec Yoder said the group had a couple of meetings before the event to iron out what each member’s role would be. He said preparing for the event is an exciting honor as they invite the veterans.
“This is very special to us,” Yoder said of the NHS students. “It is great to be able to honor them in this way after all they have done for us and the fact that they risked their lives for us. It seems like such a small thing we can do for them, but it is great to be able to do it.”