Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Lee Pulaski A veteran salutes as the Shawano Community Middle School band plays “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the start of the Veterans Day ceremony Wednesday.
Leader Photo by Lee Pulaski Makaylen Komettor, an eighth-grade student at Shawano Community Middle School, hugs Army Spc. Amanda Miller, her aunt, after Miller made a surprise appearance at Wednesday’s Veterans Day ceremony at the school.
Makaylen Komettor had no idea what was going to happen once she concluded her speech during Shawano Community Middle School’s Veterans Day program Wednesday.
Makaylen, an eighth-grader at SCMS, spoke about her aunt’s enlistment in the U.S. Army and how proud she was of her, even though it meant they were apart.
“She wanted to ride the tanks,” Makaylen said. “When it came time and she said she was leaving, I was upset and scared, and I didn’t want to face the feeling of not knowing. I knew she was strong, and she taught me to be strong.”
Makaylen had no idea that her aunt, Spc. Amanda Miller, was waiting outside the gymnasium.
After Makaylen finished her speech, Miller emerged and met her niece in a tearful embrace behind the Shawano Allied Veterans color guard.
SCMS Principal Mary Kramer said she was aware for about a month that Miller was returning to Shawano and wanted to surprise Makaylen during the annual ceremony honoring veterans.
Miller returned to Shawano last week but had to hide out in order to not tip off her niece that she was home.
“I was trying to keep it together,” Miller said of her reunion with Makaylen.
In her speech, Makaylen said she had been asked what a veteran was in her eyes.
“They’re fathers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters who have risked their lives on the battlefield, and some of them did not come home,” she said. “There is no set definition of what a veteran is, but in my mind, they are the greatest.”
Makaylen finished her speech by thanking not only the veterans who served, but also the families for providing support and strength.
Kramer said she had prepared a lengthy speech to honor veterans, but decided it was best to keep it short, since the day was about them, not her.
“We know a lot of veterans have died for our country, but Veterans Day is largely designated to thank and honor all our veterans who served honorably, whether it was in war or peace time,” Kramer said. “We do remember those who have died, but we also honor living veterans’ sacrifices and contributions to the national security of our country.”
Kramer encouraged the students to thank any and all of the veterans in attendance by words or by deeds. Veterans don’t want to be revered as either heroes or victims, she said, instead seeing themselves as valuable members of the community.
“They want an education, a family and a job, or they just want to be like the others around them,” Kramer said. “They want the opportunity to live a full life after having given so much to protect the rights of others.”
Rod Watson, SCMS associate principal and a U.S. Army veteran, said he had spoken with students this week about the history of Veterans Day, and one student asked him, “Well, shouldn’t we honor veterans every day?”
Watson acknowledged the student had a point, but added, “We respect mothers every day, too, but we still have Mother’s Day to go above and beyond, to really show that love.”