Bob Foos
Scores of veterans on Veterans Day in Webb City were thanked for defending our freedom.
The largest gathering was in the Cardinal Dome for an all-school assembly. Attending veterans were catered to by JROTC cadets and their instructors, welcomed by principal Jeff Wilke and applauded by the standing-room-only crowd. Wilke said conducting the meaningful event annually has made Veterans Day his favorite day of the year.
The full choir sang the “Star Spangled Banner,” and the band played the theme of each military service.
There was a shout-out to one special group, the sixth graders who walked over from the middle school to hear the guest speaker, their teacher, Aaron Coleman.
Coleman spoke about the life lessons that have stuck with him since his service with the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan – sacrifice, freedom and service.
“Freedom is always paid for by someone else’s sacrifice,” he said, with a nod to his fellow veterans.
He urged the students to be the best versions of themselves. “Most importantly by the way you treat each other and choose a way of life that honors those who served so you could chase your dreams.”
Coleman left his young audience with one question, “Are you living a life with purpose?”
Upon leaving the assembly, a caravan of veterans was led by Webb City police past waving students at several schools.
The route ended at Memorial Park, where the Webb City Elks Club traditionally holds its Veterans Day ceremony on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
Following the ceremony, veterans were invited to a chili lunch at the Elks Club.
