Above: Pre-kindergarten students at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic School in Cary sing at a breakfast and program honoring veterans on Veterans Day.
Kevin Kelly, a grandfather of seven, felt the emotion of the moment as he processed into St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill. He was a few steps behind his grandson and namesake, Kevin Miltenberg, who carried the American flag. A little while later that emotion was back as he listened to his granddaughter, Annie Miltenberg, sing Thank you Soldiers with her classmates.
The occasion was a Veterans Day celebration organized by St. Thomas More Catholic School’s Home and School Association and student council.
A recently retired medical doctor, Kelly was active-duty military from 1980 until 1991. As a member of the Army Medical Corps, he served at the original Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado.
Kelly, who attended the event with his wife Anne, was one of 15 veterans honored that day at the school. While he’s quick to point out that he was “never in harm’s way” and honor those who were, his service as a physician specializing in pediatric gastroenterology was essential to military families and that experience drew many questions from St. Thomas More students, some of whom were considering a medical profession.
“The students, all of them, were just engaging, young and bright,” he said.
Veteran and grandfather Lou Cipriani was honored at St. Thomas More School’s Nov. 6 event as well. Cipriani served in the United States Marine Corps as a helicopter pilot from 1975-2004.
“Father’s sermon stressed service and that all can be a hero by doing the right thing when required … [and] every table was decorated with patriotic colors, notes of thank you and student drawings depicting our American flag, eagles and red, white and blue hearts,” said Cipriani, who attended the event with his wife Mary. “The Mass and social made us so proud to attend this St. Thomas More School event.”
Similar events were held Nov. 11 at schools throughout the diocese, including The Franciscan School in Raleigh and St. Michael the Archangel School in Cary.
Veterans shared their experiences with students, who became aware of some of the many roles, such as nurse, radio technician and flight engineer, that exist within the U.S. military. And students welcomed the service members and shared slideshows they put together of the veterans’ photos.
In many cases, the veterans processed into the church to start Mass, and many students were eager to wave toward their parents, grandparents and other loved ones. At receptions, some of the chatter centered on duty stations and anyone walking through the room could overhear talk of faraway places such as Guam, Germany and the Philippines.
At The Franciscan School, Father Chris Koehn carried the U.S. Air Force service cap that belonged to his father. Mother and grandmother Michele Persak donned her American flag sweater and sat in the last row for Mass so she could capture a photo of her son Bryan, an Army veteran, as he walked into the church. Leslie Marmorato, who was a nurse in the Army, brought a custom teddy bear, in uniform, that featured dog tags and her maiden name, Ostroski, on the nametape.
In his remarks during the social, Father Chris thanked and welcomed veterans. He spoke about Veterans Day, which started as Armistice Day — the day WWI ended. “It was the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month,” he said, noting its historical significance.
At St. Michael School, the event was an opportunity for the entire community, as well as families. The Rice family had three veterans present — son Ryan (a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and father of two St. Michael students), dad Larry (U.S.M.C. veteran) and mom Ginger (Navy veteran).
“Year after year, this beautiful tradition allows our Grade 8 student leaders to host our special guests and simultaneously epitomize our parish school's three core values: reverence, service and leadership,” said St. Michael principal Tara Navarro. “Through meaningful conversations with all the veterans who joined us today, our eighth-grade class was truly inspired by their sacrificial love for God and country … many of our students have family members who join our Veterans Day Breakfast each year, which invites our students and teachers to genuinely thank them, pray for them and give tribute for their incredible service.”
That thankfulness was something the Rice family will remember.
“I absolutely loved today’s event, especially witnessing the bonds between the 8th graders and the pre-K students,” said Ginger Rice, who served in the Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps for 20 years. “It was a very special day sharing it with three generations. Doesn’t get much better than that.”
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