BATH TOWNSHIP, OH (WLIO) - Students and faculty at Bath Middle School came together on Wednesday morning to honor and recognize our local veterans ahead of Veterans Day.
Nearly five dozen veterans visited the school where students had the opportunity to have breakfast and talk with our country's bravest men and women. Following breakfast, the veterans were welcomed at an assembly with a schoolwide clap and salute. The Veterans Day breakfast and assembly at Bath Middle School has been an annual event for over a decade, and each year, students and faculty in attendance learn inspiring, valuable lessons outside of the classroom that they can remember for the rest of their lives.
"My time and service in the United States Marine Corps, 4 years, was absolutely amazing. Wouldn't trade it for the world, learned so many different lessons. Probably most prominent among them was sacrifice and what it takes to keep the United States the land of the free and the home of the brave," said Nathan Branim, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
"Me, serving in almost 5 years, the big word is sacrifice. This younger generation needs to learn a lot of what that means. You give up a lot; you sacrifice a lot for others," commented James Edward Vreeland III, a veteran of the United States Air Force.
"It's a lesson that rooted in respect; it's a lesson that's rooted in integrity, a lesson that's rooted in bravery... And I hope that our students, you know, when they walk out of here today, have a better understanding of just the sacrifice and the things that these men and women have done for us," stated Cam Staley, principal at Bath Middle School.
Band and choir students also honored the veterans with performances of the National Anthem and "God bless America".
