The JROTC academy put a color guard together for the VA, a veterans hospital. They were holding an early Veterans Day ceremony.

This was the first color guard event I’ve been to. I’m extremely glad that this got to be my first one. We got to go and preform the color guard in front of several veterans.

Talking to them and seeing how patriotic they are made me realize how unappreciative we all are as teenagers. When the Pledge of Allegiance came on, they all stood up with their hands on their hearts, reciting the words proudly. Some of the veterans were even so moved they started tearing up.

No one ever realizes how important Veterans Day is to the veterans. No one understands how veterans feel on Veterans Day. Most of them mourn all of their friends or family that have lost their lives for our country. We usually just think that it another holiday on the long list of holidays. People usually look past this holiday because it doesn’t impact their lives and they’re unaware of what its like to be a veteran unless you are a veteran.

When we went to the VA we walked in and presented the colors for both the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem. During color guard it’s extremely important to stay still until commands are ordered. After the national anthem we stood there as they prayed for all of the soldiers that were lost in both war or natural causes.

This experience impacted me significantly. If you ever get a chance to talk to a veteran you should, it will really open your eyes to how much they’ve given up for us.