This year's annual Veterans Appreciation Brunch Program, organized by committees of LHS seniors with social studies department staff, was attended Wednesday by more than 60 veterans who shared their personal stories about their time in the armed services with dozens of students.
According to social studies teacher Eric Ball, Liberty has hosted this program for a total of eight years, beginning in 2016. During Covid, the event was skipped and a “drive-by” event was held the following year.
The festive annual event included a breakfast for the veterans and their guests. The LHS choir sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” there was a short introduction by Principal Lean Slayton, a speech by U.S. Army veteran Charles Everly, who served two tours of duty in Vietnam, and a performance from the Veteran Family Band. As the veterans and their families entered the gym for the event, they walked through two lines of Liberty cheerleaders who shook their pom poms and welcomed them. In the parking lot and on the streets around LHS, students held signs and directed veterans to parking spots.
After the opening program, Liberty students sat down and talked to veterans in small groups, rotating every 20 minutes to talk to another veteran. This allowed students to learn many different histories from veterans who served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Afghanistan, Operation Desert Storm and Iraq.
“It has always been an event that brings benefits to both groups,” students and vets, said social studies teacher Rob Sausedo. “The students gain knowledge and appreciation from the living history they interact with. The vets get the recognition and validation from the students who ask questions and listen to their stories. This is the best event of its kind in the community.”
Veterans agreed. “I think it’s a wonderful thing for young folks to learn about stuff not in history books, but from firsthand experiences from veterans who have been in conflicts,” Vietnam veteran Ray Nomura said.
The attending students were sophomores, juniors, and seniors from the Social Studies Honors Society. Attending the event is part of their requirement to earn a cord for graduation. The students guided the veterans to their seats and helped them get coffee and breakfast.
Senior Brooke Tallon said, “It was inspiring to hear from people who have fought for our country to give us the lives we have here.”
Social studies teacher Brooke Richter added, “This year, we had many students who aren't in the Social Studies Honors Society invite family members who are veterans as a result of us making announcements and posting about this on the website and in the weekly principal’s email. Lots of these students asked to attend for a little bit to listen to their family members talk about their experiences, and that was really special. In particular, Ben Johnson, a sophomore in my seventh period, and his grandmother learned a lot about his grandfather and her husband that they didn't know about before this event. So, we are bringing family members closer together, too.”