A Veteran Visitor

I thought it was important to join the rest of the country in thanking and honoring past and present military members. In our Primary class, we have two fathers that served in the military (1 in the Marines and 1 in the Army) and I was born in Scotland because my father was in the Navy. Our connection to the military through our friends and family members has already been a topic of conversation in our classroom, so it was a relevant holiday to observe.

This Veteran's Day, we were fortunate to have a member of the Air Force visit us. A Grandfather of one the children, arrived in uniform and discussed some of the many things the military does to help keep us safe. The Sargent named a variety of jobs within the military and described projects he was personally involved with throughout his service.

The Sargent presented a painting of the Air Force's involvement in the rehabilitation of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This was a job he himself (with the Air Force) was part of. The plane's tail is labeled with his actual team name and number. The print of this realistic painting served as a great visual of military responsibility in natural disasters.

It worked out wonderfully that we were able to reference a book I have been reading to the children about this same event. I had picked the book up on a visit to New Orleans last April, and it has been a class favorite ever since. It is a retelling of Katrina's happenings through the perspective of children who lived through the destructive storm. 

As depicted in the book, the children of the Gulf Coast remembered seeing Air Force Airplanes (like the ones in the painting the Sargent brought us) bringing food and water to helpless victims.

The child authors and illustrators of this picture book, also witnessed doctors, firemen, and other helpers come to work in the wake of Katrina. These Service Personal could have also been members of the U.S. military, since they are indeed job positions within the four branches- as discussed with our Veteran visitor.

Thank You

We made sure to shake hands with our Visitor and thank him for his service!

We also thanked him for visiting with us. It was a wonderful learning experience!

***A big "Thank You" to all other Veterans***

<3 You are always in our hearts! <3