Our View: Program a success

Once again, the kids at Lincoln Middle School did a bang-up job on their annual Veterans Day Program.

Along with the school’s band performing the “Star Spangled Banner” and the “Armed Forces Medley” and the sixth graders’ presentation of the POW-MIA Table, students and vets had the opportunity to listen to Warren Taylor, a retired Navy veteran, talk about his experiences fighting in the Vietnam War.

The school’s yearly event honoring area veterans is one of the highlights of what is often a somber holiday for many families. While we’re all thankful for those who returned from active duty in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, there are those who did not.

Oftentimes, conflict and strife seem a world away from Green River’s living rooms. Events like the annual program and opportunities to hear from veterans about their service, during peacetime and at war, gives everyone a chance to learn about what spurred them to serve and the sacrifices they and their friends may have made.

Green River has always prided itself as a town that supports the military, its support immortalized through street names like Bramwell Street honoring local men who died during World War II.

The students and faculty at Lincoln Middle School continue that tradition through its program and the smiles and tears displayed by veterans in attendance show how appreciated their work is.

Congratulations to Lincoln Middle School for pulling off another successful Veterans Day Program.

It’s events like this that make a town feel like a community, even during a somber day of remembrance.