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Locals appreciate the troops
Pittsburgh store donates 120 wedding gowns to vetsA formalwear store gave away 120 new wedding gowns to women in the armed forces, veterans, or who are engaged to past or present servicemen. Pete Scolieri, who owns One Enchanted Evening in the Pittsburgh suburb of Pine Township with his wife, Linda, said they wanted to show support for the troops. They decided on the giveaway after hearing of similar giveaways by other shops elsewhere in the country. "I don't care if you're a Republican, a Democrat, an independent - everybody tries to put that on their sleeve," he said. "But it's just a matter of hey, these guys are over there, whether they want to or not, whether they believe in the cause or not. So how can we give something to them?" Casper, WY Students thank veterans for service The parade of veterans representing service from World War II through Operation Iraqi Freedom streamed into the gym, where students, from what a school administrator could recall, gave them the first spontaneous burst of applause since Centennial Junior High School started its annual Veterans Day ceremony in 2002. prompted by the Sept. 11 attacks. The school wanted to give something back to veterans but also wanted something from them: a chance to teach the students about citizenship and their country. When it was time to begin, the principal raised up her arm to shush the students. The orchestra played, the choir sang an upbeat national anthem, and a specially chosen ninth-grader introduced the mayor to the crowd. Renee Burgess had a request for the students. When they see a veteran, at the mall or at a restaurant, go up, and shake their hand and say thank you. "They'll know what you mean," Burgess said. The gesture will show the young people, Burgess said, a feeling of gratitude. "If you just say it one time, you'll understand." Two girls, who later read essays on "What America Means to Me," handed a carnation to each veteran, and the students applauded as each name was read. Several teachers, the assistant principal and the school's head custodian stood to receive their flowers. Then the ninth-grade emcee, John Stefansen, asked "that you take the next few minutes to reflect on those who have served, and those who are serving today." The band played "Amazing Grace," which is not easy to do on a brass instrument if you are 12. And Principal Valerie Broughton had a request, in return, for the veterans. "I would like you to go out into the community today, and say you were just with 650 teen-agers who were respectful during a very solemn ceremony." Posted by: trailing wife 2006-11-13 |
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