Star athletes on a quest for a championship are often called heroes. But New Canaan High School Principal Tony Pavia thinks differently.
These are heroes, Pavia said, pointing to the 80-plus military veterans seated in the center of the school auditorium on Friday.
Pavia and the rest of the school community spent Friday morning honoring veterans during the schools annual Veterans Symposium. The event is one of several the high school hosts to recognize area residents who served in the armed forces.
Although many of the veterans had graying hair and the wrinkles of age, Pavia said they were just like the students in the auditorium when they went to serve. These people were the same ages as you when they went to places far from home, he said.
Keynote speaker Paul Bucha, a former Army captain and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, echoed Pavias words, saying the people who have fought under the American flag are just like the rest of us. He added that its important on Monday not only to remember those America has lost, but also to be kind to all who have come home from combat. It is our time that is truly what we possess, he said.
The veterans were treated to kind applause from the students. They also cheered for No Ordinary Weekend, a short film created by Rob Mallozzzi, Kyle Conner and Harrison Harkey that highlights the millions of Americans who died in American conflicts from the Civil War to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They also cheered on the U.S. Marine Corps Band and stood when the band played the tunes of the nations five military branches.
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