by Bea Peterson
As usual, the very moving Veterans Day program at Hoosick Falls Central School began with the entire Elementary School standing and singing “God Bless America” as students carrying American flags were followed into the high school auditorium by the Veterans to be honored. This year those veterans were active duty National Guard members and Afghanistan and Iraq veterans Matthew Sagendorf, Kevin Miller and Patrick Kelly. Sagendorf served in Iraq and Miller and Kelly served together in Afghanistan. Miller and Kelly were later introduced to the audience by their children, who attend the school at HFCS.
Elementary School Principal Patrick Dailey welcomed everyone and thanked all those involved in putting the program together. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited and the National Anthem was sung with beautiful harmony by fourth grade teacher Michelle Culver and second grade teacher Leslie Green.
Flags Received
Event organizer, third grade teacher Terri Burdick, said the school received two very special flags this year. One flag was flown over the Capital Building in Washington, DC on August 21, 2009, at the request of DAR member and Class of ’59 member Carol Carelli. She asked that the flag be given to the school to honor the veterans of the Class of 1959 who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq in celebration of their 40th HFCS Class Reunion.
The second flag and a plaque were received from Lt. Commander Carl Wolf of the 25th Squadron in appreciation to the school for the hundreds of letters of support received during operation Iraqi Freedom. He said the letters and the artwork hung on the walls of their command center for months. He said letters of support from the youth of America were very important for men and women so far from home. The flag he sent was flown over Bagdad on January 1, 2010.
Mrs. Burdick’s class told the history of Veterans Day, and she relayed the legend of Taps, which Mr. Brown then played. The three veterans emphasized to the students the importance of the mail when they were serving so far from home. Sometimes they didn’t get mail for two weeks, and, when it arrived, it meant a lot to them. Sgt. Sagendorf has been in the National Guard for 11 years. He served with the 1st Infantry in Iraq from 2003 to 2005. He is now a recruiter. Kevin Miller is still on active duty. He has been in the Guard for 12 years. He spent five months in Afghanistan in 2008 and returned home when he was wounded. He is currently attending college and expects to work in the Albany Veterans Hospital when he completes his education. Sgt. Kelly served in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2009. He is with the 42nd Infantry based in Troy.
The program concluded with a sing-a-long of patriotic songs led by music teacher Ray Connolly and two students. The sweet, enthusiastic voices of the children singing “This Land Is Your Land” and “Proud To Be An American,” among others, was extremely heartwarming and an outstanding tribute to the Veterans in the hall.
At the close of the event HFCS Board President David Sutton presented Mrs. Burdick with a bouquet of flowers from the
Board in appreciation of the work she puts into directing this very special program year after year.
