Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
STUDENTS OF Wakefield-Marenisco School, and Wakefield Veterans, stand for the national anthem during Monday's Veterans Day ceremony.
By MEGAN HUGHES
Wakefield - The Wakefield Marenisco K-12 School held a Veterans Day ceremony on Monday afternoon, with members of the community attending in support.
This year's guest speaker was Ret. Lt. Col. Dave Manki, U.S. Army.
Manki gave a speech about the importance of Veterans Day and its history, as well as the role that veterans play in the United States.
"War kills people, it maims people, it destroys things and wastes money," he said, "but there is always one dumbbell, one idiot in the world, that believes that war solves problems. That is why we have a strong military."
He asked the audience what war means to them, reminding them that they are the ones that would be the most impacted by one, noting that they when wars are fought, it is the young who are sent to fight them.
He spoke about the importance of democracy, and how in America, voting for our representation has served us well.
"The one constant that we can rely upon is our veterans," said Manki. "Mayors change, senators change, presidents change. Our military, our veterans, have always been there for us."
In fact, he said that when he hears the word veteran, he thinks in terms of friends.
Manki read through a list of community members who either are serving or who have served their country.
"We have some veterans here with us today," he said. "Please, take a moment and thank them for serving us. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."
The Wakefield-Marenisco High School Band also played the national anthem and "A Tribute to the Armed Forces."
Following the benediction, students and their families left the gymnasium, with students shaking the hands of veterans who had attended on behalf of their community.
