Happy Veteran's Day

Even though at WKHS we celebrated Veterans Day last week, I wanted to pause today and express my gratitude for all of the men and women who have served our country.  The courage, bravery and sacrifice you and your family members showed are incredible.

My grandfather (pictured) was a WWII veteran.  (He died several years ago.)  His closest friends were also WWII veteran's and sadly there is only one of them left living today.  When I recently attended the funeral for one of my grandfather's friends, I was stunned to realize that he had been a Marine at Iwo Jima and that he was a Purple Heart recipient.  I have literally known this man for my whole life and I knew he was a Marine, but never realized those details.  Following his funeral my mom and I were looking through some of my grandfather's papers and pictures from the war and it is fascinating to read some of what my grandfather was doing and experienced during the war.  My grandfather graduated a semester early from Grandview Heights high school so that he could join the Army and the war.

I will always be grateful for all of our country's American heroes.  Each individual who makes the decision to dedicate part of their lives in service to help protect our country and the freedoms we so often take for granted are heroes and deserve our unwavering gratitude.  To each parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or friend who has served in the military or are currently a part of our armed forces, THANK YOU!  And to all of my former students who have joined the military, I also want to express my gratitude and reminder to please stay safe.