Students honor vets

Sackets Harbor Central School students and community members gathered in the school gymnasium Tuesday morning for a Veterans Day celebration to honor service members from the village of Sackets Harbor and the town of Hounsfield, and to educate students about Veterans Day.

District Superintendent Frederick E. Hall Jr., Sackets Harbor Mayor F. Eric Constance and American Legion representative Dara A. Oliver spoke about the sacrifices made by people in the military and their families. The school band played as Mr. Hall read the Gettysburg address and the chorus led the audience in the national anthem.

Second-grade pupils read a poem they wrote together for members of the military.

"We are safe because of you, we are free because of you, the world is a better place because of you, thank you for being brave," they read.

The school dedicated a flagpole that was bought in honor of a boy named Evan D. Goering from Watertown, who died in a house fire in 2002, Mr. Hall said. When Mr. Hall was the principal of Knickerbocker Elementary School in the Watertown City School District, Evan stopped by his office every day to say he liked his American flag tie.

"He was one of the most patriotic souls I've ever met. The flagpole isn't to bring up the sadness of Evan's death, but to honor him and the armed services," Mr. Hall said.

Five veterans marched across the gym and raised a new flag, then lowered it to half-staff in honor of the people who died in the Fort Hood shooting in Texas last week.

This was the second year for the event, and Mr. Hall said he hopes that more veterans and community members will get involved next year.

"We hold this event to share and honor those in uniform from our community," Mr. Hall said. "We want to show them that we hold them in the highest regard."