BY TRACY LEE TATE
Special to the Times
LAKE BUTLER—Last Friday, Union County High School hosted its annual Veterans Day Celebration to a smaller-than-usual crowd, but conducted as if the auditorium was filled with a full house.
The ceremony opened with the Union County Tiger Band playing “An American Fanfare,” and then Union County Superintendent of Schools Mike Ripplinger welcomed the attending veterans and others. He told them that all of the students in the district were joining the celebration via live television broadcast in their classrooms.
The Union County School District does not take Veterans Day off as a holiday, with the specific reason being it is taken as an opportunity to impress upon students the importance of honoring those who serve our country.
“It is because of you and your service to this grateful nation that we are here today as we celebrate you and those who have come before you,” Ripplinger addressed the veterans. “Our community thanks you for your service…”
Ripplinger then mentioned the flags placed along State Road 121 by UCHS Interact Club members under the sponsorship of the Lake Butler Rotary Club.
Gene Gordon, Chaplain of the local American Legion Post 153, then offered a prayer for the nation’s veterans and the county, followed by the presentation of the colors by the UCHS JROTC Color Guard. The band then played the National Anthem while the crowd stood.
The band continued its performance with the “Armed Forces Parade” while the veterans in the audience were asked to stand when the song and the flag from their branch of service were displayed.
UCHS history teacher Tammy Sulsona then gave a presentation about “Why We Celebrate Veterans Day,” giving a history of the holiday and why it is celebrated. UCHS JROTC Battalion Commander Brooke Burgess followed her at the podium, who introduced the guest speaker, Command Sergeant Major (ret.) Kenneth North – former Army JROTC instructor (2012-2019), UCHS, and the Union County District Teacher of the Year in 2019.
North talked about his career and service, aided by a slide show of when he was deployed in Afghanistan in 2005. He gave a detailed depiction of the day-to-day job of being a soldier in a foreign country and a personal description of the people he worked with and the Afghani people he met and became friends with there.
North conducted his program as an informal and interesting recounting, focusing more on what it was like serving there and less on the fighting and problems encountered. He said he was talking about “the real-world work” of a soldier and talked about his interactions with the children.
“Any time we showed up, the kids showed up,” North said. “Part of being a soldier is being an ambassador for the United States.”
In his closing remarks, he cautioned all students who plan to join the military to “Always carry hot sauce with you everywhere” when on deployment.
Ripplinger then took the podium and offered closing remarks to both the students watching the event and the group in the auditorium. He once again thanked the veterans for their service and thanked those who came out in the spirit of gratitude and support.
