WAYNESBORO, Pa — Waynesboro Area Senior High School honored local veterans last Friday, Nov. 6, during its second annual Veterans Day ceremony. The morning opened with a formal program highlighted by special guests Capt. Daniel Kinney and 103-year-old veteran Cpl. Jack Myers.
Kinney is an Army quartermaster officer stationed at the Pentagon. He addressed the students on the importance of seizing opportunities and learning by overcoming failure. Kinney shared with the students one of the best pieces of advice he has ever received, from one of his former commanding officers: “You will learn far more when you fail than if you always find success at first. That’s why we train.”
Myers, a Hagerstown resident, spoke to the students on his firsthand experiences as a member of the 692nd Tank Destroyer Battalion in the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. “We had to win that war; that’s all there is to it,” Myers told the student body. “I had to turn my anxiety into winning the war. After it was all over, I was glad I did what I did.”
On the liberation of Dachau, Myers told the students, “That was terrible to treat human beings the way they were treated in those camps. Things like that made me feel like we were doing something we must do – we had to do.”
The ceremony also featured patriotic music from the high school band and chorus, and concluded with Myers leading the school in song.
Following the ceremony, students chose two of 30 available breakout sessions hosted by local veterans and high school faculty to attend. Choices included the following:
● Life Aboard a Submarine
● Cold War Era Communication
● Bootcamp Teamwork Experience
● Exploration of Army Vehicles, Myers & Jack Fazebaker
● Planting Victory Gardens
● Q/A with Combat Veterans and Drill Sergeants
● Presentations on Local History (Civil War and the Ritchie Boys)
Myers also hosted a session with Donna Allen and Jack Fazenbaker of Waynesboro. Allen, whose father Roy Talhelm is the youngest person buried at Normandy American Cemetery, was one of the impetuses for the creation of this ceremony. Allen wanted to see an experience for students in Waynesboro that teaches not only to honor our veterans but also hear about the sacrifices veterans make from veterans in our community.
Another impetus for the program was Waynesboro high teacher Col. Doug Lowery. “For too many students, Veterans Day is just a day off school,” said Lowery. It is through programs like this that the high school hopes to change this.
“This community has representation from all branches of services and so many amazing experiences and lessons to share with students,” said 1SG Michael Shuman, a presenter at the ceremony. Lowery, along with fellow social studies teachers Daniel Shaffer, Karl Schreiber and Stacy Henderson, and high school assistant principal Derek Null helped organize the ceremony.
