##VIDEO ID:6wzGClc3fH8## to honor the men and women who have served in our nation's armed forces Veterans Day is about more than just the holiday or nextt day off from school it's about remembering the sacrifices made by ordinary people who answered the call to serve and defend our country as a veteran myself I feel privileged to be part of that Legacy and to share with you what this day truly means when I first joined the Navy I knew I was committing to something bigger than myself I wasn't just taking on a job I was stepping into a role that would challenge me push me and teach me about honor courage and commitment every person who puts on a uniform is making a promise to protect our country and the freedoms being all whole de that's a big responsibility but it's also a great privilege and it's something that unites all veterans no matter where they serve or what branch they were part of the sacrific of our veterans can sometimes be hard to understand understand especially when you're young we think about battles and stories of Courage but sometimes we forget the quiet sacrifices that happen off the battlefield the time away from our families the miss birthdays and holidays the countless moments when they put others before themselves veterans put everything on the line because they believe in ideals our country stands for freedom justice and the opportunity for everyone to live in peace today we also remember that service doesn't stop when you take off that uniform many veterans continue to serve their communities helping others making a difference in ways that go beyond their military service their teachers doctors First Responders business owners and public service they bring the spirit of commitment and resilience into everything they do and they continue to set an example for all of us to the students here today I want you to know that service can take many forms you don't have to be in the to serve you can serve by being a good friend a help a helping hand or a voice for someone who may need your support every time you help others stand up for what is right or show kindness you honor the values that veterans ought to protect Veterans Day is reminded that each of us has the power to make a positive impact in honing our veterans today let's just not remember their courage but also the Legacy they leave behind for each of us they remind us that we can all make a difference no matter where we are or what we do so thank you for taking this time to honor our veterans today and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you let's carry forward their legacy of service in our own lives every day thank you very much he our L Valley Forest will perform United e stand [Music] to be [Music] to Shining [Music] [Applause] [Music] I see my glor Glory hallelu glor Glory hallelu GL GL hallelu IM [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] before we close today I want to send a very special thank you to all the people that helped make our program possible so bear with me there's a lot of people that this program possible uh first I'd like to thank ouro speaker marono our L Valley High School band course directors Mr de Miss Coons and of course the students performing [Applause] [Music] [Applause] song accompanist for kindergarten first and third grade songs Miss Grace shouser and Mr Brian [Music] Barry North Jersey B on Main Street in neom for the donation of bagel and cake for our distinguished guest the Stan hope Education Association for coordinating and providing breakfast and [Music] refreshments Mr Lama for technical audio and visual [Applause] support Mr Mr Kavanaugh Mr vat Mr Batista and M for custodial construct all of our students and staff for decorating our school so proudly Mrs Candy Smith uh for her assistance with updating our media presentation third grade for creating care packages for our soldiers fourth gr for their pre-program poetry [Applause] reading fifth grade students will prepare greeting cards for our veterans all of our Scouts and their leaders for getting our program kick started [Applause] today with Val School veterans program [Applause] committee our student council vs leaders and pness Squad [Applause] each year this list grows and grows because so many people want to have their fingers on it and and be a part of it um but the next person that I'm going to to uh announce honestly has touched every single piece of this program for more than 10 years um our our event coordinator uh and the reason that this program is what it is Mrs Kathy [Applause] last and certainly not least our local veterans thank you for being here [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] la [Music] h [Music] oh [Music] a [Music] [Applause] [Music] this now concludes our program students thank you for being such a wonderful audience please follow the direction of your teachers as they uh lead you back to class I invite our residents to stay back in the gym for some photo opportunities and then back to our cafeteria for some W presents thank you all so much I for they [Music] IDE Great Brook stay right there [Music] l down [Applause] [Music] to