Plains School honors local veterans

Plains High School honored its local military veterans last Thursday with patriotic music, a special meal and a celebration of gratitude.

More than a dozen veterans from five of the six military branches - no one from the newly created Space Force was present - took part in the event put on by the school each year. This year, however, the school treated the veterans to a luncheon, something they hadn't done for the past three years.

The luncheon was made by 30 students from the Family and Consumer Sciences and Nutrition classes from freshmen to seniors, taught by Charity Jermyn. The kids cooked a variety of meals a month ago and ate them before voting on what to serve the vets - barbecue meatballs, macaroni and cheese, rolls, salad, and finger foods - said Jermyn. Freshmen Marina Tulloch and Aly Roy baked red, white and blue cupcakes for the vets. Seniors Brenden Vanderwall, John Thurston, Gabe Rasmussen, and Hallie Corbin helped serve the veterans and escort them to the gymnasium for the assembly.

"Some people may ask, 'How do you describe a veteran?' Well it would be correct to say, they protect our freedom, provide us with a way to learn history and the world around us and more importantly they risk their lives for people they have never met," said Plains School Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Walsh at the Veterans Day assembly. "They are people of sacrifice and duty. They help us to be thankful for all the privileges we have as Americans," she said.

The school started the Veterans Day celebration in 2014 by teachers Keith Baker and Linda Knight, who are both retired. The Covid situation halted the luncheon, but veterans were presented with a bag of goodies.

"It's good for the students to make something for someone else and it's a great way to give back to the community," said Jermyn. "It shows an appreciation for them. It's more than just observing Veterans Day, we actually did something for them to show we appreciate them," said Jermyn, whose husband, Jesse, is an Air Force veteran and heads the school's maintenance staff. He was also a guest speaker at the assembly, which included more than 200 students and staff.

Jesse Jermyn thanked the veterans for their sacrifice and told the crowd that there were a lot of different reasons a person joins the military, but the one reason all the veterans in attendance went into the service was patriotism. Jermyn said he'd been in numerous countries around the world during his 20 years service, but he believes the core values of the United States are the best.

Twenty veterans from Thompson Falls and Plains showed up for the two-part celebration event. Twenty-year-old Lance Corporal Peter Carey, an active duty member of the Marine Corps, was the youngest veteran to attend. He was accompanied by his father, James, a veteran of the Coast Guard, and Gary McGraw, his grandfather, who served in the Navy aboard a destroyer during the Vietnam War. His younger brother, Drew, a high school senior, was one of the guest speakers at the assembly.

In all, six members of the Army, four from the Navy, three from the Marine Corps, two from the Air Force, and two from the Coast Guard were at the assembly. In addition, there were two veterans that served in both the Navy and Army. Eight-seven-year-old Dale Williams, who served with the Marines from 1954-1957 and the Air Force from 1957-1973, was the oldest veteran in attendance. The youngest with a military affiliation was Hallie Corbin, 17, who has signed up for the Army National Guard and leaves for basic training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma after she graduates in February. Corbin plans to be a field medic. Gabe Rasmussen said he's considering enlisting in either the Army or Marine Corps.

The Veterans Day assembly included a musical presentation by music teacher Loren Lauridson and the high school band, which played the "Star-Spangled Banner" and the service songs of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

The school's new superintendent was pleased with the veteran turnout, which included her husband, Denis MUnson, a Marine who served in the Vietnam War. She even made mention of the Marine Corps birthday, which was Friday. The superintendent also provided background on Jermyn, who was born and raised in Plains before serving in the Air Force, retiring in 2020 as a master sergeant.

She thanked all the vets for their service, sacrifice and valor. "Each of you embodies the ideals on which America was founded - democracy, freedom and liberty. You are the ones who sacrificed so much to protect these ideals," said Walsh.