The P.E. Wallace Middle School gym was filled overwhelming gratitude for our veterans on Monday, November 11. The Wallace Middle School 28th annual Veterans Day program honored local veterans with lunch, music, gifts, and moments of appreciation. Wallace students and MPHS Student Council members served lunch to the veterans and their families. Local businesses donated gift cards and gifts that were presented to the audience members as door prizes.

Wallace sixth grader Hadassah Thompson offered the blessing. MPJH eighth grader, Hudson Rider, with Wallace sixth graders, Liam Boyd and Rory Eakins, of Boy Scout Troop 6101, posted and retrieved the American and Texas flags while Wallace sixth graders, Kaylin Verwolf and Kate Cluley, led the pledges to the United State and Texas flags. Wallace Student Council President, Mallory Mancera, offered a word of welcome to the guests and fellow classmates who had entered and created a living American flag in the stands of the Wallace gym. After the welcome, Wallace students Valerie Aguilar (Army), Taisha Chong (Navy), Peyton Glenn (Coast Guard), Kevin Rangel (Marines), and Jacob Hernandez (Air Force) presented the military branch flags while the Wallace Honor Choir with special guest, Elijah Swiger, sang the song of each, and veterans stood for their branch. Wallace students presented carnations in recognition of military spouses and widows. Wallace sixth grader Judah Deal presented the POW-MIA flag which was accompanied by a moment of silence.

Wallace teacher Barbara Sims introduced Sabrina Vaseleck to give this year’s Veteran’s address. Sims described how they had become friends during a college Chemistry class. She introduced her by telling the students that after knowing her for little while, “I googled her name and to my surprise she had been mentioned in an article in The New York Times (for the students here today, The NYT is a newspaper). I was immediately intrigued and as soon as I got to school the next day I inquired about my discovery and that’s when I learned that she had entered the United States Air Force in 1998 as Airman Boykin and was honorably discharged nearly a decade later as Tech Sargeant Vaseleck. In 1998 she attended Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and then Intelligence School at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo. Afterwards, while stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia she worked as an Imagery Analyst and Drone Mission Planner during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, both of which were a part of America’s Global War on Terrorism after 9/11. During this time, she was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Sabrina was also awarded Airman of the Year by the 30th Intelligence Squadron. I soon learned not only had she been featured in The New York Times but also in an article titled, ‘Operation Reachback’ in the April, 2004 edition of Air Force Magazine. After her time at Langley, Sabrina was stationed at the Joint Intelligence Center on Pearl Harbor where she worked for the United States Pacific Command as a Target Analyst. While there, she earned the Joint Meritorious Unit Award and the Joint Service Achievement medal for her relief work efforts during the 2004 Indonesia Tsunami that took the lives of over 200 thousand people. During that effort she worked as part of a team that provided real time imagery that ensured that U.S. and International forces had current information. After deployments, temporary duties, and time away from family, she decided at 9 and a half years to leave the service, come home to Texas, go to college, and not have to miss out on any more time with her two young sons, and equally important, to tutor me in Chemistry.”

The program was full of music including the Wallace 5th and 6th grade Honor Choirs. Veteran and owner of 903 Thrifts, Kristian Luker, accompanied by her husband, Hayden Luker, sang “America the Beautiful.” MPHS teacher, Landon Johnson, gave a solo performance of “God Bless the U.S.A.” MPISD Band Director, Karen Luckett, and her twin sister and Corprew music teacher, Kirby Merritt, sang “God Bless America.” And Wallace Middle School teacher, Jason Barfield, played “Reveille” and “Taps” to open and close the program.

Military widows and spouses, active military members, and recipients of military awards for Valor and Purple Hearts were honored. Veterans from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and those who served during times of conflict including the Multinational Peace-Keeping Force, the Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel stood to be recognized.

Sixth grade student Anna Henry was recognized for her Pilot Club award-winning essay, “What it Means to be an American.” Pilot Club member Becky Meriwether presented Henry with a certificate and a $75 check for writing the winning essay.

Wallace Principal, Nathan Rider, concluded the program with, “On behalf of Wallace Middle School and MPISD, I would like to thank all of you who currently serve or have served this great nation. We sincerely appreciate the sacrifices that you have made to protect our freedom. I would also like to thank everyone who participated in making this event possible. Veterans, I hope you all enjoyed the program and hope to see you all next year.”

Photos:

1: MPHS Student Council member Aubree Hawkins helps serve the guests

2: Rory Eakins (left) and Liam Boyd present the American and Texas flags

3: The Wallace Middle School Honor Choir

4: The Wallace Middle School student body creates a living flag

5: Mount Pleasant Junior High Principal and former marine, Rusty Duke, stands for the Marine anthem

6: Wallace student Anna Henry presents white carnations to military widows in attendance

7: Keynote speaker and Owner of Ruby & Begonia, Sabrina Vaseleck

8: Sixth grader Judah Deal brings in the flag of POW/MIA