Veterans Day: A new perspective

Aidan+and+Ava+Regans+father.+Photo+courtesy+of+Aidan+Regan.+

Photo courtesy of Aidan Regan

Aidan and Ava Regan’s father. Photo courtesy of Aidan Regan.

Audrey Pekny, Editor

Monday, November 11th, is Veterans Day. Riverside Brookfield High school hosts a Veterans Day assembly annually to show their respect and honor Veterans. 

For some students, Veterans Day is just a day off of school or a day with shorter classes, but for others it has much more meaning. There are around 1.3 million active duty military, some of which have children and siblings at Riverside Brookfield High School. 

For these students, the day has a much different meaning than sitting in the assembly and hearing the stories from their classroom’s assigned veteran. 

“Veterans Day is a time where I can appreciate what my dad does and what other people do in the military do because they leave their families to go time just to support our country. Even though it’s hard to leave your family for a certain time, you know that they are doing it for the best,” said freshman Ava Regan, whose father can be deployed at any time. 

In recent years, there has been a lot of debate about Veterans Day and the military in general after Colin Kapernick and Eric Reid kneeled during the national anthem. Some people choose not to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in the mornings and do not “celebrate” Veterans Day. This can be hurtful or seen as offensive for people that served or have someone that lost their lives fighting for our freedoms. 

“Veterans have risked their lives for this country. They do this so we can have freedom, and liberty. I feel that it’s something that could be taken a little more seriously. Sometimes it’s overlooked that we have these freedoms,” said junior Sean Guirola, whose brother, Lloyd, a 2019 RB graduate, is serving in the U.S. Marines. 

For many with family and friends serving in the military, times of deployment are difficult. The average length of a soldier’s deployment is twelve months but can be significantly more. 

“This is his first time in nine years, and he’s gone for nine months, so another six,” said freshman Olivia Lozada, whose father is currently serving in Iraq. 

For many families, they communicate through email and letters, as these are the most inexpensive methods. Phone calls and care packages however allowed usually occur less often as the cost is significantly more. As well as the financial aspect, it can also be impossible to communicate due to geographical issues and time constraints. This makes having a deployed family member even more difficult. 

“Sometimes when they have to be deployed, you really need your father figure there. It’s really hard because when they aren’t there, you don’t really have that shoulder to lean on,” said Ava Regan. 

More and more schools every year request to have school on Veterans Day to educate their students and have the opportunity to celebrate and honor the men and women that have served our country. To families with veterans educating their communities about Veterans Day and what they can do is very important. 

“That it takes a lot out of the veterans and their families. It’s a lot to go through while you’re in a warzone, before and after,” said Lozada. “It’s very mentally tolling on both the veterans and their families.,”