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Crowd shows appreciation for veterans
- Veterans Day 2010
By LINDA M. LINONIS
LIBERTY
Jack Betts, keynote speaker at the Veterans Day program at Liberty High School’s gym, expressed thanks for the support and enthusiasm of the 1,500-plus in attendance.
But, the U.S. Navy veteran asked that students and adults don’t confine their appreciation for those who served and are serving today to Veterans Day. When they recognize a military veteran or a man or woman on active duty by a jacket, cap, uniform or camouflage dress, Betts requested that civilians say these four words — “Thank you for serving.”
Thursday’s program, sponsored jointly by Liberty Township administration and the school district, was a tribute in word and song to veterans and active-duty military personnel.
Betts, a Hubbard Township resident, served in the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1960 as a Russian-language specialist. In civilian life, he taught English from 1969 to 2002 at Austintown Fitch High School.
Betts informed his audience that Armistice Day was the forerunner of Veterans Day. The observance, he said, was originally named for the agreement to end World War I at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month.
“The peace lasted 21 years,” Betts said. “Then Adolf Hitler invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939.” The United States entered World War II after the Japanese, allies of Germany, bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Betts credited President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Allied commander during WWII, with changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. Eisenhower pointed out the peace after WWI was fleeting. Subsequent wars and conflicts that followed – the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the war on terror — made it more important to recognize the service of military personnel. “We didn’t want parades or money. We served because we love the flag and the people,” Betts said of America. “We only want to know we are appreciated.”
Betts had the veterans stand, and the audience told them, “Thank you for serving.”
Jeff Grinstein, school board president, said: “Veterans Day celebrates the choice to serve. We thank them for their service and sacrifice.”
John Young, LHS principal, was master of ceremonies; Boy Scout Troop 42 presented the colors; and Jodi Stoyak, Liberty trustee chairwoman, thanked everyone for attending to make it special for veterans and recognized Walmart for donating keepsake pins. Fourth-graders sang the Liberty alma mater, and the choir sang the “Star Spangled Banner,” “Song for Unsung Heroes” and “America the Beautiful.” The band played the military-service songs for the U.S. Army and Air Force. Coast Guard, Marines and Navy and veterans representing those branches stood and were recognized.
Ken Murphy, who served in the Marine Corps from 1949 to 1955, said such programs make participants “proud to be an American.”
“I think it lets the kids see people who served,” he added.
Sgt. First Class Brian Bowman of the U.S. Army, who is on active duty and recently returned from Egypt, attended. “It’s important to participate in Veterans Day to recognize the actual heroes,” he said.
His 13-year-old daughter, Destiny, a Liberty eighth-grader, said she was ”proud” of her dad and his service.
Michael Kopanic, 92, served in the 39th Engineer Battalion of the Army during WW II and was in Sicily and Africa. He was accompanied by his grandson, Jimmy Kopanic, 23, who said the program was a good way to support veterans and spend time with his grandfather.
Christina Weinreber, a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman from 1991 to 1995, said, “Veterans Day programs remind us of the sacrifice and important role of the military. Politics shouldn’t be a part of it. It’s about supporting military personnel who are doing a job and protecting our freedom.”
She and her husband, also a Navy veteran, have five children in the district. Many in their families have served.