By Sherrie Norris
Nowhere was patriotism more alive on Thursday morning, Nov. 10, than at Green Valley School in Watauga County where community veterans were honored for their military service.
Just one day before their official holiday, 17 veterans representing school and community families attended an early morning breakfast hosted by the school, followed by an impressive hero processional down the hallway to the gym where a brief ceremony was held.
Leading the parade of heroes were members of the Watauga High School JROTC who also presented colors in the gymnasium as the celebration began.
Students, faculty and staff were lined along the decorated hallways to salute the veterans as they passed by, many waving flags, saluting or otherwise acknowledging their presence.
Once everyone was settled in the gym, middle-school student Lynleigh Hilderbran led the group in the pledge of allegiance, followed by welcoming remarks by School Principal, Gordon Prince.
Prince admitted that the celebration was his favorite assembly of the year, “a chance to honor our veterans and remind our students that our rights don’t come free.”
Kindergarten student and aspiring vocalist, Micah Lewis, left his audience in awe as he sang “God Bless America.”
Second-grade teacher Heather Ward carried on the school’s tradition of honoring the youngest and oldest veterans in attendance, the former being a tie between Jordan Morgan and Tabitha Bodoh. Just months from his 99th birthday H.C. Moretz was recognized as the senior-most veteran present and introduced by Reading Teacher, Donna Greene, as guest speaker for the event.
Moretz shared reasons why Veterans Day is celebrated, reminding his audience that it’s not just for a day off from work or school, or a day for veterans to receive free meals from local restaurants. “While we are thankful for all that, there’s much more to it.” And, from there, he gave a history lesson on Veteran’s Day and shared how he became a veteran through his service in World War II.
As a student himself of a nearby one-room schoolhouse known as River View Elementary, as well as a teacher the first year the current school building was opened, Moretz shared part of his life story, having been raised just a short distance from the school, along with his sister and five brothers. He shared about his induction into the Army, (at age 19 in 1944) followed by his 17 weeks of infantry training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, a 10-day furlough before reporting to Fort Meade, MD, and then to Camp Miles Standish in Boston, from where he shipped out to Europe with the 78 Lightning Division.
He landed in Liverpool, England, and rode a train to South Hampton before crossing the channel to France.
He remembers well crossing the Rhyne “just before the bridge was blown up” at the onset of the Battle of the Bulge.
As a special tribute to Moretz, the staff at Green Valley had compiled a slide-show presentation with photos of his early years and leading up to 2018 when he was among those WWII veterans honored during the Town of Boone’s Independence Day Parade and unveiling of the Veteran’s Memorial.
Moretz and his fellow veterans on Thursday expressed appreciation to Green Valley School, students, faculty and staff, for remembering them and including them in the impressive observance.
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