Community Corner
Van Hoosen Students Honor Veterans with Ceremony, Silent Dismissal
U.S. Navy veteran John Heller, who survived the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, spoke at the event at Van Hoosen Middle School.
To honor military veterans on , students and staff at Van Hoosen Middle School participated in a silent dismissal followed by a brief ceremony in front of the school.
During the ceremony, Principal Michael Behrmann and Assistant Principal Dan Mooney briefly addressed the crowd before handing the microphone to U.S. Navy veteran John Heller. Heller was just 17 years old when he , which was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine shortly after midnight on July 30, 1945.
"Veterans Day is very, very important to veterans themselves," Heller said. "Maybe some of you kids might be able to get a group together to go downtown and visit some of these veterans."
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Heller, who received a custom embroidered pullover from Van Hoosen students moments before his speech, added: "I'm very very honored to be able to speak to you out here. ... It keeps me young to be around all of you young people, which is really nice."
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