Pocatello-Chubbuck schools honor veterans
Published at | Updated at
CHUBBUCK – Schools across the Portneuf Valley took part in honoring those who served this Veterans Day.
Courtney Fisher, spokesperson for Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25, said schools celebrated Veterans Day on Wednesday in a variety of ways, ranging from holding all-school assemblies to placing posters honoring veterans in the hallways or pictures of veterans connected to the school.
“Veterans Day is always a really special day across School District 25,” Fisher said. “They all try to honor it in their own way that represents their school community, but make it really special for the veterans that have served our community and that are connected to our school.”
EastIdahoNews.com attended Veterans Day events at Hawthorne Middle School and Chubbuck Elementary School.
Hawthorne Middle School
At Hawthorne, the school’s band, orchestra and choir performed a variety of songs, including “America the Beautiful” and the “Armed Forces Medley.”
As is tradition, veterans in the audience stood up during the section of the “Armed Forces Medley” that’s dedicated to their branch of service. Fifteen to 20 veterans across all branches of service were at the assembly.
Additionally, Heather Petrella, a teacher in the fine arts department, performed the military bugle call “Taps” in uniform.
“(We’ll close with) a rendering of ‘Taps,’ in honor of the veterans that answered the call and didn’t necessarily make it home. So as we do this, it is a solemn thank you to those honorable warriors,” Petrella said, with the audience standing to pay their respects as she began the song.
Chubbuck Elementary School
At Chubbuck Elementary, Elizabeth Dyer, who described herself as “a long-term volunteer” with the school, gave a presentation for students on her service in the Army. Dyer told EastIdahoNews.com that she served as an engineer in the Army from 1977 to 1983, and then served another 13 years in the Reserves before retiring as a major.
Dyer, whose father served in the Air Force, joined the Army for a variety of reasons.
“I was an active person. I wanted to be in the height of things, and it just sounded like a really fun job. And I could do something that was good for my mind,” Dyer said.
Dyer said that as a woman in the military, she did the same basic and advanced training as all the service members, but she would not have been able to participate in combat had the United States been at war during her service.
“Back in those days, I did things to get ready for war, but even in a war, I would not have been in that kind of unit,” Dyer said.
Despite this, Dyer said she was something of a “snake eater,” and really enjoyed the difficult parts of being in the military.
“I was just …” Dyer imitated a roar. “I just loved the whole thing. I mean, going out, being in the field, running around with a pack, getting muddy. I loved that, and so if there was something to be done, pick me.”
Dyer wanted to impart a variety of lessons for the students through her presentation, but the one she felt was the most important for them to take away was how important it was to take responsibility for themselves.
“Be responsible for your life. It’s not the teacher’s fault. It’s not your parents’ fault. I mean, there are things that might be hard for you, but do your part. Do your part as being a student,” Dyer said.