POCONO SUMMIT, Pa. — The chorus and band performed patriotic songs, and students set "America's White Table" to honor military men and women who served our country but never made it home.
It was all to honor veterans on this Veterans Day at Pocono Mountain West High School near Mount Pocono.
For some guests, this assembly was like a coming-home-again ceremony.
"I'm with the Marine Corps, active duty, currently serving up in Wyoming, Pennsylvania. I am actually a former student from here. I was the class of 2012, and this is the first time I've been back in almost 10 years now," said Sgt. Maria Castro Clark, U.S. Marine Corps.
For others, like 96-year-old World War II Navy veteran Lawrence Flowers, this get-together is something he looks forward to. Last year, it was put on hold because of the pandemic.
"Everything went off nice. I appreciate everything they do for the veterans and whatnot. I hope it goes on year and the year after."
Students who help put together the assembly said that recognizing our servicemen and women is very important, and they wanted to thank our veterans from our area in a special way.
"This is very important because they gave us a lot of the freedoms and rights we have today. It's just very important that we recognize and thank them for their service and the sacrifice they made for us," Stephanie Freire said.
"It was amazing to recognize these veterans. They hold such an amazing part of our history, and because of them, I can be who I am. I have the freedom to come to school every day, get here safely, and get a good education," Kiarra Reyes added.
Because of the pandemic, only a certain number of students were seated at the assembly among visiting veterans. Other students watched the program virtually from their classrooms.