Waynesburg Elementary honors veterans
Fifth grade students from the Waynesburg Elementary Center sing, “You Are Our Heroes,” by Teresa Jennings during the Veterans Day celebration held in the Waynesburg High School auditorium Friday morning.
WWII veteran John Paletta Jr. with his daughters, from left, Marilyn Bartley and Lori Paletta-Davis.
A photo of WWII veteran John Paletta, Jr. when he served in the Air Force.
WAYNESBURG – It was a packed house Friday when the students from the Waynesburg Elementary Center presented a program in celebration of Veterans Day in the Waynesburg Central High School Auditorium.
Guest speakers for the event included WWII Air Force veteran Staff Sgt. John Paletta Jr., Retired Sgt. 1st Class Shane Cole, and Paulette Phillips, mother of Marine Lance Cpl. Steven Phillips, a Waynesburg graduate who was killed in 2006 while serving in Iraq.
Phillips told the students her son was once in their shoes, attending Waynesburg Elementary. She said it was the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that inspired Steven to enter the armed forces. He did two tours of Afghanistan and one in Iraq before a Humvee accident claimed his life.
Phillips said many would call her son a hero but, “If he was here today, he would say, ‘Don’t go making such a fuss. I’m not the only hero.'”
She told the children a hero is someone who willingly risks his or her life or getting hurt to protect others they do not know. By that definition, her son most definitely fits the bill.
“Stand a little taller. Say each word a little clearer when you say the Pledge of Allegiance and this weekend, this Veterans Day, hug a hero and thank them for their service,” Phillips said.
Between those speaking, the more than 800 students in kindergarten through fifth grade performed patriotic songs by grade level, educated the audience on the folds of the flag, and waved hand-held U.S. flags.
Cole said he did not come from a military background so there weren’t a lot of veterans in his life to educate him on what it means to be a veteran.
“As a child growing up in Greene County, Veterans Day was just another day off from school for me. I had no direct ties so I didn’t understand. The answer to what Veterans Day means to me is ever evolving,” Cole said.
Even after serving 10 years, Cole said he still didn’t fully grasp it. Later, as a recruiter for the National Guard, Cole said he often told young men the guard hadn’t been deployed for decades and if they were he would be right there with them because World War III would surely have broken out.
“My understanding of selfless service and what it meant to be a veteran evolved greatly after September 11. To tell you the truth, it has taken me 26 years of military service to fully appreciate the sacrifices that men and women make for us every day,” he said, choking up.
Paletta would be the final speaker of the event. He talked about his time stationed in the Philippines when, as a radio gunne, he flew in low flying missions in a B25 bomber over the South China Sea. Paletta told the students that veterans “care about their communities, are concerned for their family and especially concerned about the children. It is a great priority of every member of the armed services to protect you (the children),” he said.
Speaking of the concerted effort Americans did stateside to help bring WWII to an end, Paletta said he believes that is the direction the country needs to take again, where everyone does their part to support the military.
To that end, the Waynesburg Elementary Center is currently collecting items to send to deployed military members. For more information, contact the school at 724-627-3081.