Editor
Clermont County residents celebrated veterans in a variety of ways last week, but celebrations included first graders saluting while standing in the shape of a heart.
Cobey Armacost, a first grade teacher at Batavia Elementary School and a Navy veteran, planned a program for the first graders on Veterans Day. He tried to relate to the children and, in first grade terms, speak about veterans and what they have done for the United States.
Armacost also taught his class to walk in ranks and salute, which they did in front of the other first grade students.
At the end, Armacost was asked to leave the room. He suspected the children were preparing a flag they had made to give to him. However, the staff had planned a difference surprise.
“When I walked in they had made that absolutely perfect heart,” Armacost said. Not only were the students standing in a heart shape, they were silent and attentive, which Armacost says is a miracle in and of itself.
Making that heart is one of the nicest things anyone has done for Armacost, he said.
“If I live to be 150 I’ll never forget that day,” Armacost said.
He added, “They were absolutely engaged and I was very impressed with them.”
Armacost hopes to continue holding programs on Veterans Day in years to come and plans to expand it next year. He wants to bring in some other veterans to speak with students.
The entire county celebrated with a program and a parade on Main Street in Batavia.
Stephen Foster felt the Veterans Day Parade went well this year. He and Donnie Chandler are co-chairs of the parade for the Clermont County American Legion.
Commissioner Bob Proud spoke before the parade. He thanked the Clermont County American Legion and said he was proud that Clermont is one of the few places that holds a parade on Veteran’s Day.
“I’m glad you guys are out here,” Proud said.
There are more than 16,000 veterans that live in Clermont County, each with their own unique story, Proud said.
“We can’t say enough thanks,” Proud said.
Clermont County is proud to support their military and proud to be the “Yellow Ribbon capital of the world,” Proud said.
However, the county and its residents need to make sure to help the county’s veterans, to let them know that they are still valuable and to give them jobs, Proud said.
“To our veterans out there, God bless you. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice,,” Proud said.
Proud also spoke about Whole in my Heart, a support group for family members of those away in the military.
Commissioner Ed Humphrey read a proclamation about naming Nov. 8-14 as Veteran’s Awareness Week in Clermont County that the commissioners signed at the Nov. 4 meeting.
“We as Americans owe a great debt of gratitude to those who have sacrificed for our liberty and for the security of our Nation,” Humphrey read.
The parade included veterans, police and fire departments, school marching bands and more.
“It means a lot to me,” said Dennis Shiveley, a Marine veteran and a resident of Batavia.
This is not his first time at Clermont County’s parade, which he said is one of the best.
“It’s good to see it back in the village,” said Shiveley’s wife, Tammi. They plan to continue attending the parade in years to come.
Village of Batavia Mayor John Thebout also expressed his pleasure at having the parade back in the village. He fought to bring the parade back here after it was moved due to the roadwork on Main Street.
Thebout feels the parade belongs in Batavia because it is the county seat.
Foster said he decided to move the parade back to Batavia after having it in New Richmond for two years because, as Thebout said, the village is the county seat and because the parade began in the village.
Thebout thinks it is great to have events like these that recognize veterans. Thebout was in the Air Force in Vietnam.
“I just think its good that people recognize the veterans and what they’ve done,” Thebout said.
Batavia Middle School also held a program. The school started its celebration by listening to fifth-grader Alivia Alexander sing the National Anthem.
Principal Brokamp took the microphone next to talk about Veterans Day.
“Today we honor the world’s real heroes, our veterans,” Brokamp said.
He said he was proud that Batavia Middle School is a school where students recite the pledge of allegiance everyday.
“Veterans, we cannot thank you enough,” Brokamp said.
To honor the veterans, the middle school held a voluntary essay contest and picked a winner from sixth, seventh and eighth grades, Brokamp said.
Hannah Wiederhold, a sixth grader, spoke about what freedom means to her, which includes safety, freedom of religion, free speech and more.
Her grandfather, uncle and cousin all served in the military, Wiederhold said.
“Veterans are unselfish and very caring. They care about our country and the people in it,” Wiederhold said.
Seventh grader Hanna Hughes wrote her essay about why the American soldier is special.
Her reasons included that soldiers put their lives before others, that they are courageous and brave and that they choose to serve, they aren’t forced to.
“You are my hero,” Hughes said.
Sarah Menke, a eighth grade student, spoke about how the United States Military helped form and protect the country, which involved a huge sacrifice from people like her grandfather, who is her role model.
“The U.S. Military has helped protect and form our country in many ways and we are grateful,” Menke said.
After the speeches, veterans spoke about their service. At the end, the students gave an unplanned standing ovation to all the veterans.
Attendees of the program included men from all five branches of the military who served all over the world in the U.S., Korea, Iraq, Germany, Italy, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Dessert Storm.
The program ended with a flag folding ceremony performed at soldiers’ funerals. Kenneth Huber, a U.S. Navy veteran, directed the ceremony. Wyatt Poling, a sixth grader, and Ethan King, a seventh grader, assisted Huber while Daniel Witt and Caleb Stump, both eighth graders, played echo taps.
Brokamp was impressed by the reverence that his students had during the program. His father, a veteran, instilled a strong sense of patriotism in Brokamp and it is important to Brokamp that his students have patriotism instilled in them, too.
After the program the veterans were invited to lunch.
“It is so nice to have a local school and their young people recognize and appreciate the veterans in their life,” said Vickie Huber, a Navy veteran and a resident of Miami Township.
She feels the program is especially good for veterans who were wounded so they know they are supported by the community.
Vickie Huber also was glad that the students at the school were able to see the flag folding ceremony.
“I thought it was excellent,” said Ron Bradley, also a Navy veteran and a resident of Pickerington, Ohio. His granddaughter attends the middle school.
The acknowledgement means a lot to Bradley, he said. He felt the program was well done.
This is the first year that the middle school has held this program for a long time, Brokamp said. He brought the program back because of his father and because he grew up in a very patriotic community, so he wanted to pass that on.
“I was incredibly impressed, proud and frankly choked up about how the students behaved, the incredible respect that they showed the veterans,” Brokamp said.
He was also pleased at how many veterans attended the program. Brokamp is very happy with the way the program went and said he wouldn’t change a thing.