Pam Dudding
Contributing writer
One thing that Veterans and active military personnel in Craig are known for is their willingness to serve.
This year, at the Ninth Annual Veterans and Active Military HONOR Dinner, the military who were honored gave back.
In recent years, McCleary Elementary students were given an opportunity to design their own card for a military person for the dinner. This year, several students in art teacher’s Karen Jones classroom said they wanted to participate. Some even wrote in their cards about their family members who had served or are serving.
This year, local military servicemen and women and their families were given the option to give back as an index card was provided at each setting for them to write a note back to the McCleary Elementary students who participated.
Some family members and military personnel wrote the following:
- I want to thank you and your classmates for such wonderful messages to me and my fellow Americans for serving this amazing country. Thank you.
- Many thanks for my beautiful note. I appreciate your fireworks. God bless you and our country.
- To the McCleary Elementary students, thank you for the note cards honoring our Craig County Military. They were lovely and thoughtful. Without our military, we would not be a free nation.
- Thank you for your time and thoughts you wrote in the recent Veteran’s Day cards for the meal at the VFW Post.
- Thank you so much for my card. It was very nice and meant a lot to me.
- I read my card several times. It is very nice, and I thank you very much!
- Thank you for caring about Veterans and for the lovely cards you made. It is for all of you that every service man and woman has served!
- I was genuinely touched by your note regarding my Army service. Thank you for thinking of those who have served in the military.
- Thank you for remembering us and doing all that work. We hold the line, our sons and daughters are holding the line, and one day we will be proud to pass the job to you.
- Thank you for your cards and hard work that went into making them. You are very welcome for supporting Veterans and someday I am sure some of you will also be Veterans and serve your country. May God be with you in everything that you do. Always do your best or at least try.
- Thank you for taking the time to thank the Veterans for their service. Always study hard. Respect your country, our flag and vote when you are old enough.
- Thank you for your note. As Veterans, we are proud of our country and of you. Always study hard and stand up for our country. When you are old enough, make sure that you vote for those people who want our country to stay free.
- Thank you for the nice card! It is beautiful! You live in the greatest country ever and I’m proud that you wrote the pledge. Do well in school! God loves you!
- You are very thoughtful to take the time to write me a note. Thank you for loving your country. Remember to be brave and that God loves you.
- Thank you for caring and for loving your country as much as I do. In life we must all be brave. Life can be tough. You must be tougher. Remember, God loves you! We appreciate your dad too!
- Thank you so much for honoring the Veterans! You all did a wonderful job! My grandpa is a Veteran and I greatly appreciate what you all did, he had a very big smile, as do I! Thank you for everything!
- It was so nice of you to write us a note for Veterans Day! Every generation needs to realize how much has been done for us by those who have come before. We hope you had a wonderful life!
- Your support has been very much appreciated by us Veterans! You are great! Keep being patriotic.
- Thank you for being a part of our special dinner for me and other Veterans. I served in Vietnam and Thailand. During my service, I flew helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes. Maybe you can be a pilot when you grow up.
- We thank you so much for your cards. It is so wonderful to see our young people that love and honor our nation, as well as us Veterans. May God bless you both and thank you, once again.
- Thank you for all the effort that you put into making this day for the Veterans great! Most of all thank you for your patriotism to the Veterans and to this great country. May God bless each one of you.
- This is the greatest country in the world! It was an honor and privilege to serve it and you. We need your support too and appreciate it. Thanks for the card!
- Thanks for the nice card and thought. I think you did a great job!
- Thank you to the boys and girls of McCleary Elementary School! The Military cards were touching and so thoughtful. A big shout out to who wrote and designed my card!
- Thank you for the outstanding program and service to your community! Honoring our Veterans and military is a very important thing and you did a great job! It was my honor and privilege to attend.
- Thank you for the lovely note at the Military Appreciation Dinner. There are many ways to serve our country. You serve by learning and caring for others. You helped me to have a great Veterans Day!
- It is the good people of this country that make it all worthwhile. Keep on being a good person!
- Thank you for making the nice cards. It was very thoughtful and shows a labor of love. You are a very special person!
- Thank you for my awesome Veteran’s Day card! I like it so much that I am going to keep it in my police car so I can have it with me every time I go to work. It was my pleasure to serve our great nation.
“This is only a small portion of cards that the McCleary Elementary students wrote,” Pam Dudding, Chair of the Military Dinner, said. “My heart was so warmed and my eyes teared as I read the notes written, first by the kids to the military personnel and then later from the many military service people to the kids. I am truly blessed to have been a conduit of this relationship.”
