Prentiss M. Brown, Jr. recognizes the veterans seated to his left during his address at the Veterans Day ceremony Wednesday, November 11, at the St. Ignace Middle School gymnasium. Mr. Brown spoke about the men and women who have defended our nation, those who continue to serve, their sacrifice, and the liberty and freedom that is worth such a high price. It was a poignant moment as the youth of St. Ignace passed through aisles of seated veterans, shaking their hands and thanking them for their military service, following the Veterans Day assembly at the school Wednesday, November 11.

As Superintendent Mike Springsteen read off the names of all of the veterans present at the ceremony, cheers for family and friends rang out above the applause of the crowd gathered at the middle school gymnasium. Mr. Springsteen took this opportunity to point out that almost everyone there knew at least one or two of the community's veterans seated in folding

Veterans pose for a photograph after attending the Veterans Day ceremony Wednesday, November 11, at the St. Ignace Elementary and Middle Schools. Each veteran who attended the ceremony was honored by Superintendent Mike Springsteen. chairs on the gymnasium floor.

"It is an honor to be able to host this," Mr. Springsteen said. "We owe all of these men and women a tremendous debt of gratitude."

The St. Ignace bands treated the crowd to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "The Star-Spangled Banner," and a medley for each branch of the armed services. Two kindergarten students, Morgan McCrory and Brooke Brandstrom, recited the pledge of allegiance, and elementary students sang a "We'd like to thank our veterans" song.

The main speaker for the event, Prentiss "Moie" Brown, Jr., said Veterans Day is a time to take on the duty and privilege of remembering and thanking those who have served the United States of America in the past 233 years. Mr. Brown is a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Navy Air Corps.

Students at St. Ignace Elementary and Middle School say thank you and shake the hands of veterans after the Veterans Day ceremony at the schools. Here, second-grade student Riley Kita shakes hands with World War II veteran Marvin Winkelman of St. Ignace. Students from kindergarten through eighth grade attended the assembly. "The prosperity and freedom we all enjoy today are preserved for us by the fire and the sword and the brave who have died," Mr. Brown said. "They marched away from their homes, their families, and their children."

The holiday, he said, is a time to gather and pay tribute to those who have served, and those who have died in service to the country.

"When these service people went to war, it was not some vain ambition that motivated them, it was a love of freedom," Mr. Brown said. "It is this love of freedom that has preserved our nation at any cost."

Above: St. Ignace Elementary School Principal Kari Visnaw holds the microphone as kindergarten students (from left) Morgan McCrory and Brooke Brandstrom recite the pledge of allegiance. He asked the audience to visualize a young American soldier in a foxhole far from home, who is asked to charge up a hill toward certain death. Amidst the horrors of war, he said, this and any soldier is thinking about home, family, friends, and everything about life, liberty, and freedom that is worth defending.

"All these soldiers are thinking about the best things at home," Mr. Brown said. "These are the institutions that are ours because of that sacrifice."

These institutions like family, freedom, democracy, and a chance at a happy life are now ours to uphold and defend, he said, a duty that should be taken seriously after all the sacrifices veterans have made to protect them.

At right: A color guard from the St. Ignace Coast Guard station presents the flag during the ceremony. The color guard is (from left) Jennifer Sellers, Patrick Hogan, Tyler Bowen, and Annie Burthold. "They fought to win the peace," he said. "Peace can only be accomplished by people that are free like we are. We must not let them down. By doing this we are keeping the faith of those soldiers who died for it."

Mr. Brown called those who have served the country "peacemakers," and said the best way for people to honor these men and women is to rededicate their lives to the country they fought for and to excel at school, work, and in the community.

Before the choir sang "America the Beautiful" and Middle School Principal Gregg Fettig gave a final thank you to all of the veterans and those currently serving in the armed services, Mr. Brown left the audience with a final thought, a quote from his grandfather, James J. Brown.

"The Earth carries in her tender breast no more priceless treasures than the loyal dead who gave their lives for all. They sleep as the nation's benefactors, the martyrs of our nation's cause," he said.