MONROE - The 11th hour, 11th day and 11th month.
It is a time of significance for United States and world history, Monroe Middle School Assistant Principal Lynne Wheeler told students Tuesday.
It was at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, 1918, that World War I came to an end. For years, people referred to the day as "Armistice Day." Eventually the name was changed to Veterans Day.
Lt. Col. Kim Cairy, who teaches at Monroe High School, spoke to middle school students during a Veterans Day event, about the significance of the day while showing slides of military events throughout the nation's history. Some of the slides were of the troops on the ground, while others were photos of military leaders such as Gen. Dwight Eisenhower and Gen. George Patton.
All of the photos had a common theme.
"Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage," Cairy said.
These were the traits of the people who served and who presently serve their country.
"They honor these ideals. These values are what soldiers stand up and fight for," Cairy said.
Soldiers believe in what they do, he said.
"They are scared beyond belief, but they're still willing to do their job," he said.
For many people, Veterans Day has lost its importance and its historic meaning. One reason is because not as many people serve in the military. However, there still are veterans who can talk about their experiences in the service. Cairy recalled the times his grandfather told him stories about the Wisconsin troops who fought in France during World War I. They stood in the mud and cold in the trenches, his grandfather told him.
"He spoke of their honor and their integrity and how they stood up for what was right," Cairy said.
Cairy, like his father and his grandfather, served in the military. So did his brothers.
It is a honor to serve your country, he told the students. Military service isn't the only way to do that, he added.
"John F. Kennedy said, 'Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." What can you do for your community," he said.
"Do things to help other people, not just yourselves."
Cairy told the students to think of others. Shovel a neighbor's walk or send a package overseas to a soldier at Christmastime, he suggested.
"Recognize the sacrifices our soldiers made and are making," he said.
Most of all, they should remember what those who sacrificed gave: Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
It is a time of significance for United States and world history, Monroe Middle School Assistant Principal Lynne Wheeler told students Tuesday.
It was at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, 1918, that World War I came to an end. For years, people referred to the day as "Armistice Day." Eventually the name was changed to Veterans Day.
Lt. Col. Kim Cairy, who teaches at Monroe High School, spoke to middle school students during a Veterans Day event, about the significance of the day while showing slides of military events throughout the nation's history. Some of the slides were of the troops on the ground, while others were photos of military leaders such as Gen. Dwight Eisenhower and Gen. George Patton.
All of the photos had a common theme.
"Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage," Cairy said.
These were the traits of the people who served and who presently serve their country.
"They honor these ideals. These values are what soldiers stand up and fight for," Cairy said.
Soldiers believe in what they do, he said.
"They are scared beyond belief, but they're still willing to do their job," he said.
For many people, Veterans Day has lost its importance and its historic meaning. One reason is because not as many people serve in the military. However, there still are veterans who can talk about their experiences in the service. Cairy recalled the times his grandfather told him stories about the Wisconsin troops who fought in France during World War I. They stood in the mud and cold in the trenches, his grandfather told him.
"He spoke of their honor and their integrity and how they stood up for what was right," Cairy said.
Cairy, like his father and his grandfather, served in the military. So did his brothers.
It is a honor to serve your country, he told the students. Military service isn't the only way to do that, he added.
"John F. Kennedy said, 'Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." What can you do for your community," he said.
"Do things to help other people, not just yourselves."
Cairy told the students to think of others. Shovel a neighbor's walk or send a package overseas to a soldier at Christmastime, he suggested.
"Recognize the sacrifices our soldiers made and are making," he said.
Most of all, they should remember what those who sacrificed gave: Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.