Photos
Bob Davis and Terry Claar, with the Carthage Shrine Burn Crew, and Gary Earl, with the Jasper VFW, honor Jasper teacher Hope Metcalf and student Luke Pryer for saving the Shriners' American flag after it fell from the flag pole in front of the group's rural Jasper County headquarters.
| |   |
JASPER, Mo. —
Veterans Day may be the day to honor veterans of our armed services, but on Thursday, Jasper veterans were honoring students as well.
Hundreds of Jasper school children gathered in the Jasper gymnasium to hear from and make welcome a group of about two dozen veterans in the school’s annual Veterans Day assembly.
Gary Earl, a Jasper veteran, spoke to the students about a visit he made to the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans, and how it told the story of World War II through the voices of the veterans who fought in it.
Sam Etcheson, president of the Jasper VFW, spoke to the students about why veterans are so passionate about the flag and protecting the flag.
Three special presentations were made.
Karalyle Flenniken, with the Jasper Daughters of the American Revolution, presented Jasper High School senior Molly Russell with the group’s good citizen award. The DAR makes this presentation every year at the Veterans Day assembly.
Something new this year was a special presentation by the Carthage Shrine Burn Crew, whose headquarters is located in rural Jasper County just south of Jasper, and the Jasper VFW.
Bob Davis and Terry Claar, with the Shriners, and Earl, with the VFW, honored Jasper student Luke Pryer saving the flag that normally flies outside the Shrine Burn Crew’s headquarters.
Davis said Pryer noticed the flag lying on the ground after the rope holding it up had been cut by a sharp edge left over from when the group had some work done on the pole.
“I was hoping no one had cut it down,” Pryer said. “I had heard about the protestors in Lamar and it really gets to you when you hear about people stepping on and burning the flag.”
Pryer was referring protestors from a church in Topeka who routinely protest at soldiers funerals saying their death is God’s wrath on the nation because it accepts homosexuality. The members of the church showed up to protest at the funeral of Lamar soldier PVT. Dylan Reid last month.
Pryer took the flag he found on the ground to Jasper teacher Hope Metcalf who helped him clean it, fold it and get it back to the Shriners.
“You hear so much about people stomping on the flag and burning the flag,” said Davis, with the Shriners. “We wanted to honor someone for protecting the flag.”
The Shriners and VFW presented Pryer and Metcalf with plaques thanking them for their help and they presented Pryer with a flag that was flown ceremonially over the U.S. Capitol..
Hundreds of Jasper school children gathered in the Jasper gymnasium to hear from and make welcome a group of about two dozen veterans in the school’s annual Veterans Day assembly.
Gary Earl, a Jasper veteran, spoke to the students about a visit he made to the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans, and how it told the story of World War II through the voices of the veterans who fought in it.
Sam Etcheson, president of the Jasper VFW, spoke to the students about why veterans are so passionate about the flag and protecting the flag.
Three special presentations were made.
Karalyle Flenniken, with the Jasper Daughters of the American Revolution, presented Jasper High School senior Molly Russell with the group’s good citizen award. The DAR makes this presentation every year at the Veterans Day assembly.
Something new this year was a special presentation by the Carthage Shrine Burn Crew, whose headquarters is located in rural Jasper County just south of Jasper, and the Jasper VFW.
Bob Davis and Terry Claar, with the Shriners, and Earl, with the VFW, honored Jasper student Luke Pryer saving the flag that normally flies outside the Shrine Burn Crew’s headquarters.
Davis said Pryer noticed the flag lying on the ground after the rope holding it up had been cut by a sharp edge left over from when the group had some work done on the pole.
“I was hoping no one had cut it down,” Pryer said. “I had heard about the protestors in Lamar and it really gets to you when you hear about people stepping on and burning the flag.”
Pryer was referring protestors from a church in Topeka who routinely protest at soldiers funerals saying their death is God’s wrath on the nation because it accepts homosexuality. The members of the church showed up to protest at the funeral of Lamar soldier PVT. Dylan Reid last month.
Pryer took the flag he found on the ground to Jasper teacher Hope Metcalf who helped him clean it, fold it and get it back to the Shriners.
“You hear so much about people stomping on the flag and burning the flag,” said Davis, with the Shriners. “We wanted to honor someone for protecting the flag.”
The Shriners and VFW presented Pryer and Metcalf with plaques thanking them for their help and they presented Pryer with a flag that was flown ceremonially over the U.S. Capitol..
No comments:
Post a Comment