___The State Port Pilot__
NEIGHBORS
Veterans winning battle for respect
Wednesday, November 11, was
a holiday for all Brunswick
County students.
Many enjoyed another day off
without realizing the significance
of the day. Eighth graders at
South Brunswick Middle School
studied Veterans Day and wrote
letters to the men and women
who served in the military.
Veterans Day dates back to the
signing of the armistice ending
World War I, at 11 a.m. Novem
ber 11,1919, in Germany. It was
officially known as Armistice
Day until 1954 when president
Dwight D. Eisenhower changed
it to Veterans Day.
The letters students wrote were
shared with veterans and their
families who participated in the
holiday observance sponsored by
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post
10400 of Boiling Spring Lakes.
The keynote speaker, Col. C. E.
Zakszeski, discussed the critical
role of veterans in times of war
and peace.
"Never forget these Americans
and the sacrifices they made," he
said. Veterans from different
wars can be distinguished by the
wrinkles on their faces, "but not
by their love of, devotion and
duty to our country."
"We shall remember and we
shall always be grateful," Col.
Zakszeski said.
The students’ letters indicate
that they too remembered and are
grateful for the sacrifices
veterans made to protect their
freedoms.
Dear Veteran,
My name is Megan Pickard. I
am a proud citizen of the United
States of America. I am very
grateful for everything you have
done for our country. Some
people do not realize how impor
tant you are but I do. I am very
thankful for everything and I and
thankful to be the member of this
country in which I can make my
own decisions because we are
free. Many people take ad
vantage of this situation and
don’t realize how good they have
it. I realize how grateful we are
and how special you are. I would
like to say thank you.
Megan Pickard
Dear Veteran,
I just wanted you to know that I
really appreciate what you and
all the other veterans did and that
we would not be such a free
country if it was not for people
like you. There are a lot of
people who think they have done
a lot in this world but in this
world there are not many people
like you and those who did what
you people did.
Chris Jordan
Dear Vietnam Veteran,
I am writing you because I ap
preciate the fact that you fought
for the rights that we are taking
granted of. I really do appreciate
what you have done not for just
yourself, but for the citizens of
the United States.
Lewis Bridges
Dear Veteran,
I admire what you have done
for our country. I admire every
body that were fighting for our
freedom and our country. The
people that don’t care about
Veteran’s Day and don’t respect
the American flag should head
on over to another countiy if
they can’t respect you and the
U.S. flag.
I’m writing just to say thanks
to all the veterans and everybody
ply that fought for us. Thanks.
JohnSchen
Photo by Marybeth Blanch!
Dear Veteran,
I wanted you to know how
much I appreciate your courage.
This is a great country and I’m
glad I have you fighting for it.
Your courage shows just how
much we love our freedom and
country. It can never get said
often enough to someone like
you, thank you. I love you and
this country. God bless you and
your family. My prayers are with
you and for peace ever more.
Christie Lewis
Dear Veteran,
I thank you for fighting for our
country and our flag. What
you’ve done is one of the
greatest things ever done. Maybe
I’ll be able to do something like
that one day.
John
Dear Veteran,
Thank you so much for your
help in the wars. I don’t know
where the country would be
without you. I owe you our coun
try.
You are a very brave person
and I’m sure that your family is
proud of you. I kriow that I am.
You are willing to give up your
life to keep peace. Thank you
again.
Melissa Ciemnicki
Dear Veteran,
I am writing to tell you thank
you for giving your life to serv
ing our country for our freedom.
You can spend you whole life
... . ' •. ■ . -;l . _ • .... ■ : : f
.doing something you hate and
never achieve anything, but you
and many others gave your life
no matter what the cost for all
freedom, and that’s the most
wonderful thing any person
could do and you choose that
way of life. I really admire you
for taking this as your lifestyle.
Thank you for my freedom. I’m
proud to live in America.
Amie Osborne
Dear Veteran,
I really believe that you are a
brave person to have risked your
life for the country a lot of us
take for granted. Many people
don’t understand just how lucky
we are. Most people in other
countries would die to have the
freedom we don’t appreciate. My
brother is 22. He is stationed in
Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He
was in Saudi Arabia. I was really
scared he wasn’t coming back.
LaToia Robinson
Dear Veterans,
Today we arc writing to tell
you that we really appreciate all
the sacrifices you’ve made to
jnake this a free country. I know
that it was really hard for you to
go to war and leave your family,
pot knowing if you are really
going to see them again. I don’t
know if I could have left my
family. They’re too important
To tell you the truth, I really ad
mire your concern. So keep on
being admired because you are
the ones that loved this country
enough to sacrifice your life for
it. We love you.
Candace Jenrette
Dear Veteran Friend,
It must be fun to be in a war,
but at other times it must be
scary. I’m sure that you were
seated because I know that I
would be if it were me because I
would be scared that I would get
shot and die or lose a leg or an
arm or something like that. We
appreciate you fighting in the
war because it means a lot to us.
Brandon Thaip
Dear veteran,
I thank you for what you have
done for our country. If it was
not for you we might not be here
today. I am proud of my freedon
and I love living in the USA. It’s
all because what veterans of
America have done. I hope one
day there will be peace but it
might be a long time. Thank you
have a good year and we are
proud of what y’all have done.
Rhett Harrington
Dear Veteran,
I just wanted to proceed in
writing this letter to one of
America’s soldiers and to show
you we care by sending our let
ters to you all and to show you
the county’s proud of you by
having a day just special for you
By the way, if I see red, white
and blue flags. I’ll make sure to
stand up next to you to fight for
our country today. God bless the
LISA is what I’ll say.
Franklin Smith
Dear Veteran,
Thank you for your duty in
protecting and defending our
:ountry. I understand that you
went through great hardships and
straggles to protect us all.
I do not think I would ever be
able to do what you did. You
risked your life. Your friends
risked their lives. Some of them
never returned.
So in this letter, dear veteran,
may you continue to go noticed
for your acts of courage and
bravery.
Joy Scott
Dear Veteran,
I would like to take this time to
thank you for all of your hard
work to try and protect our coun
try. I takes a lot of dedication
and courage to be in the position
that your were in. You were
ready to fight for every last per
son in the United States of
America, and for that I am very
proud of you.
Leslie Myrie, Jr.
Dear Veterans,
I appreciate what you all have
done for our country and hope
that even if you got hurt in the
war, I want you to know if it
wasn’t for you veterans 1 might
not be here today. I just wanted
to say thank you.
Natali
Dear Veterans,
I am writing to you to thank
you for all you have done for our
country. Thank you for giving us
a free country and letting us live
like we want to live. Thank you
for fighting for our country and
standing up for us in what we be
lieve in. As an American citizen
I am proud and always will be.
I’m glad to live in America and
proud to be an American. Thank
you very much. Thank you all.
Stephen Lanier
Dear Veterans,
I am very proud of all of you. It
makes me feel very good to
know that someone cares enough
for their country to risk their
lives for it. You went out and
fought in these wars in order to
keep the people safe and happy.
This really meant a lot to my
family and I. You all deserve
respect and honor. This day is
yours and you earned it. Thanks
for everything.
Kim Mays
Dear Veterans,
Thank you for defending our
land and protecting us. 1 wish
some of them did not have to die,
but thank you for all you’ve done
for us. You should be proud of
what you have done for us. So
don’t get down on yourself.
Stand up and do whht you think
is right. Be all that you can be.
Adam Sellers
Dear Veterans,
I thank you for going to war for
our country. I think that this is
the most that anyone could do
for the United States. Anyone
going to war would be, in my
opinion, a hero. Therefore, 1
salute you and again say thank
you.
I hope you lead a wonderful
life and may God be with you
forever.
Cameron Cowan
Dear Veterans,
Thank you for fighting or serv
ing for our country. If you had
not fought or served for us, there
might not be the United States
we know today. I want to thank
you for giving a portion of your
life for our freedom.
Robbie Dickens
Dear Veteran,
Wednesday, November 11,
1992, the United States of Amer
ica has set aside a day to honor
*hat you have done. I send you
tnd your friends my support and
America should too. I send my
hanks and so do my friends and
family.
Chris Segura
Dear Veterans,
I thank you for all the things
you have done for us. If it wasn’t
for you none of my world would
be possible. My parents would
pay hundreds of dollars for gas,
unnecessary taxes and just for
staying in a house, because of
you none of this is true. So I
thank you. If there is anything
you need, please let us know.
Tamara Brown
Dear Veterans,
I would like to tell you how
much I appreciate you and how
you put your life on the line for
our country. My dad was in the
Coast Guard, and I know how
much I appreciate him and I real
ly am thankful to you and all you
have done.
Some of the veterans didn’t go
to war and some did. It was a
chance you had to take and were
willing to take. I don’t think I
would be willing to take that
chance. It takes a lot to enlist in
the armed forces. You have to be
pretty brave, and that you are.
Mary Sillings
Dear Veterans,
Thank you for going into the
United States Armed Forces to
help protect our country and its
people. It also gives us a good
feeling to know that someone is
prepared if anything bad breaks
our, like war.
Jason
Dear Veterans,
I wrote this letter in order to
thank you. I would like you to
know I appreciate everything
that you have done for me and
my country. I greatly respect you
for having the guts and the will
to fight for our country. You’re
very brave and for that I thank
you.
Stephanie Shrewsbury