SANTA ANA : Veterans Honored by School

Students at a school whose name honors a famous American general learned lessons in patriotism this week in the time-honored American way.

Standing in respectful silence in a sunny courtyard, 1,200 students at MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate School saw a trooping of the colors by Marines from El Toro, heard martial airs played by the Santa Ana High School band and were exhorted by a Marine major to learn from the experiences of veterans.

Maj. Gary Reinhold from the Tustin Marine air base described the history of Veterans Day and spoke about the sacrifices U.S. soldiers have made for their country.

He also encouraged students to talk to veterans and “ask where he was or ask her where she was, what she did. You’ll hear interesting stories of freedom, stories that have given you and I freedom to choose what we want to do and who we want to be.”

Vice Principal Steve Solomon, who is a veteran himself, said the assembly was intended to help students understand the significance of Veterans Day, which falls on Thursday.

“Veterans Day is more than just a day off from school. It’s a day that we celebrate the men and women who risked their lives for our country,” he said.

Afterward, students said they enjoyed the assembly and thought Veterans Day was an important subject to understand and celebrate.

Chad Olis, 13, said that such assemblies “show them that we appreciate that they risked their lives to save our country.”

He added that recognizing the day is especially important to the veterans and their families: “It shows that we respect them.”