Honoring Our Veterans

A Belen student, at graduation, is one who is expected to be the consummate “Man for Others.” One who not only has the knowledge necessary to function and thrive in our ever changing world, but also he is to be a young man who is not afraid of the call to serve his fellow man. Our young men are dedicated to God, to their families, and to their nation, ready to run to the fire wherever and whenever one threatens to consume everything they hold dear.

 

History is filled with thousands of examples of Catholic men who have done that very thing; men who stood for the United States and had been called to protect their fellow man. Men such as Lt. General Howard Moore, Father Francis Duffy and countless others, who in the history of the United States, have shown that as Catholics, we take our duty to our fellow man and fellow citizen seriously. No example of this is greater than that of the Second World War, where as many as 35% of American soldiers were Catholic. Taking part in what General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the “Great Crusade,” these men would liberate the peoples of Europe and Asia from a tyranny the likes of which the world had never seen. As time passes, and more and more of these men are called up to the side of our Heavenly Father, their first hand stories and examples are becoming increasingly rare. That is why, when given the opportunity, our students leapt at the chance to be able to meet the men whose stories they had only read about; men who are shining examples of what it means to be a “Man for Others.”

 

On September 15, in Terminal J of Miami International Airport, our Wolverines joined others in greeting veterans of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, as they returned from the bi-annual “Honor Flight.” A large number of those there, cheering and shaking the hands of the veterans, were the 6^th grade students in my World Geography course. The student’s cheers were, for many veterans, the perfect bookend to a long, emotional day in Washington D.C., where they toured the WWII, Korean, and Vietnam memorials, and reflected on the sacrifices so many of their brothers and sisters made during their service.

 

When most veterans returned home from their time in the service, they received no victory parade, no honors and cheers. Many were lucky to have a small group of loved ones at a train station or at an airport waiting for them. A few didn’t even have that. Our students helped right this wrong, and they did more than give the veterans the hero’s welcome they so rightly deserve. They got to meet face to face some of the best living, breathing examples of those who answered the call and who selflessly served and ran to the fire when the world needed them most. These young men are the next generation of Men for Others, learning from the example of Men who once did the same.

 

Click here to view pictures from the event.