001e all e good morning ladies and gentlemen if I could ask you all to stand we will welcome our most honored guests our veterans I will introduce them by Arrow of service as the first two banners come in please observe a moment of silence as we honor the Fallen at this time the banners for World War I and World War II thank you the veterans of [Applause] Korea the veterans of [Applause] Vietnam [Applause] Veterans of the Cold [Applause] War [Applause] Veterans of the Persian Gulf and [Applause] Afghanistan and [Applause] Iraq [Applause] and the Brown County honor [Applause] guard [Applause] and now the Brown County Scouts will bring forward the colors guard guard prep to guard colors col guard turn guard return good morning please rise and join us in the saying of our Pledge of
002Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the stand indice thank you Violet and Noah good morning I would like to welcome you all to our annual Brown County Schools Veterans Day program in the Larry c banks Memorial gymnasium my name is Emily Tracy and I'm honored to serve as your superintendent of schools today we have the greatest pleasure of honoring our veterans both living and past who have selflessly served our great nation at this time we would like to pay special recognition to any widows of veterans who have joined us today thank you for your [Applause] service thank you for joining us this morning I do hope that you enjoy what promises to be a very special program you may be seated at this time our Brown County
003School choir will perform the Star Spangled Banner oh say can you see by the light what so proud We at the Twilight stripes and bright stars to the for the ramp we watch were so G streaming and The Rock the BS bursting in air they Pro through the night that our flag was still there do that [Applause] starle the of the and the [Applause] the at this time the bchs band and combined bcms and bchs combined choirs will perform the Armed Forces Medley the pride of America as we uh perform each of the service hymns would you please stand for your branch of service veterans [Music] the United States [Music] Army over H over we willit [Applause] the and the are rolling along in the United States Marine [Music] [Applause] Corps to the shes of
004we will fight our country's batt in the air on land and seify for right and fre and to keep our H Earth CLE we are proud to CL the tit of United States [Music] GL [Music] the United States Navy away fwell to we s that break up B to see through swirling we [Music] meet the United States Coast [Applause] Guard always ready for the call we place our trust in the Ser stor and shall our purpose be is our guide our F and glory to fight are the United States Air Force the wild [Music] the live down nothing you [Music] our [Applause] at this time I would like to welcome Mr Bill Hamilton and Mr rman to present the Patriots pen and voice of [Music] democracy thank you everyone for being here today to honor
005the veterans and all our comrades their families members of our community and guests this Veterans Day we want to thank our superintendent miss Emily Tracy the principals the teachers the staff and all the students who have helped make this happen my name is Bill Hamilton and I'm the commander of the Nashville Veterans of Foreign Wars the VFW post 6195 it's an honor to be here today assisting me is this is my junior Vice Commander Ed ritesman I would like to take a moment to thank everyone here today for the support that Brown County always shows her veterans did you know that the brown county is home to the remains of service members dating back to the American Revolution today's young men also continue proudly serve our current veterans organization provides the flags that are placed
006on the graves of our military veterans every May volunteers and students help Place those flags we thank you for your assistance every may we sell buddy poppies buddy poppies Trace their history back to World War I and Flanders Field the donations we receive pay for the awards we are giving out today and other school based projects the patriotism and generosity of brown county is inspiring thank you for all your loyal support each year the BFW wants to recognize students and teachers through the Patriots pen program the voice of democracy program and the smart Mayer citizenship education teacher recog recognition program each one is judged by a panel of veterans and community members our top three winners for Patriots pin will advance to the district level where they compete with the winners from the 15 Post
007in our district the district winner then advances to the state level and state winner advances to the National level prizes monetary Awards and scholarships are awarded at each level the national winner will receive $5,000 this year the Patriots pin theme is how are you inspired by America and 15 students in the sixth grade competed by writing an essay this year we are happy to honor and congratulate the winners of the Patriots pin our third place winner for Patriots pin is Allison [Applause] shrer Alice can you come forward got him okay Allison's Allison's award is an engra medal a certificate and a monetary Award of $100 [Applause] congratulations he do I go back up I no you go back'll after it's over our second place winner for the Patriots pin is Parker [Applause] Allison Parker please
008come forward you're beating me here that's okay Park's award is an engraved medal a certificate and a monetary Award of $125 congratulations Parker thank you and you have this too our first place winner for the Patriots pen is Violet King Violet coming forward Violet's award is an engrav medal a certificate and a monetary Award of $150 [Applause] congratulations this year's Voice of democracy theme is what are the greatest attributes of our democracy and 133 students in the high school competed on the audio essay our top three winners will advance to the district level where they compete with the winners from the 15 posts in our district the district winner then advances to the state level and state winners advances to the National level the state winners will receive a trip to Washington DC and the
009national level they may receive up to a $35,000 scholarship this year we are happy to honor and con congratulate the winners of the voice of democracy our third place winner for the voice of democracy is Carly [Applause] trap thank you congratulations our second place winner for the voice of democracy is Julia [Applause] Bert Julie is coming forward Julia's award is an engrained medal a certificate and a monetary Award of $2200 congratulations thank you very our first place winner for the voice of democracy is Lily [Applause] voils [Applause] see you again Lily's award is an engraved medal a certificate and a monetary Award of $250 [Applause] congratulations you want to get go ahead and get that ready oh I forgot something Lily we want you to speak sorry about that the winner of The Voice of
010democracy sorry forgot it's okay hi guys I was asked what are the greatest attributes of democracy when I reflect on all the great attributes of our Democratic Republic I had to take a step back and appreciate how lucky I am to have a representative government I began to think about the structure of our government and it reminded me of my extended family our government structure can be divided into three categories federal government state government and how my local government affects me some valuable attributes uh could be described as family which includes grandparents aunts and uncles and my siblings and parents our federal government is a lot like my grandparents they help set the tone for a worldview much like when our founding fathers proposed the ideas in the Constitution for instance my grandparents instilled in
011me the desire to follow my dreams similarly one attribute of our federal government I'm grateful for is the belief that citizens are entitled to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness my federal government has given me the freedom and opportunities that allow me to create a life for myself of my choosing just the same as my grandparents have allowed my aunts and uncles to chase after their ideal life my aunts and uncles are much like our state government government created by the federal government each state is ran a little bit differently than the other this gives citizens the choice to live in a state that aligns with their interests and values additionally citizens and family members can voice their opinions to Representatives making decisions for how that state is run regarding education marriage laws Etc
012this particular attribute allows citizens to move freely between states wherever they feel their ideas are not being represented through their state this brings me to my closer relationships with my siblings and parents for my entire life I have lived in one place that place has set me up with my core beliefs and values similarly my local government has represented my interest and value so that I too can be equally represented throughout my country living in a small town with a small local government has kindled my curiosity to explore other environments the United States government has provided all of its citizens with security and protection so that we can pursue our life in peace they have given us many opportunities ities to express ourselves and have our voices heard through uh those who represent us this
013gives Americans the rights and Liberties our founding fathers had Envision for us the way many voices came together in this Collective Vision in my opinion is one of the greatest attributes of our democracy thank [Applause] you every year the BFW acknowledges teachers for their hard work dedication and inspiration in creating a sense of national pride in their students this year the VFW Post 6195 is recognizing one of our teachers for their outstanding efforts at this time would Alicia Adams of Brown County High School please come forward [Applause] it's an honor to recognize Mrs Alicia Adams congratulations thank you thank [Applause] you thank you for supporting our students and our veterans at this time I'll turn it this back over to miss Tracy thank you at this time I would like to introduce Alicia Adams and
014Emily Luellen to the podium our Brown County High School history Club [Applause] sponsors good morning everyone we're so happy to see all of you I want to take just a moment to honor Mrs Adams any of you have had Mrs Adams know that she works tirelessly she is here for her students and she loves this community in Brown County and our veteran so let's give her one more round of applause [Applause] please today we have the distinct privilege of announcing to you all that all five Brown County Schools have once again been designated as purple star schools in the state of Indiana we learned of the renewal just yesterday this designation honors schools that have displayed a significant commitment to service members veterans and students and families connected to our nation's military Brown County High
015School history club members contributed to the application process by creating a space in each building that honors our military they felt compelled to do so as they have learned so much from the the stories of our veterans and want to honor them and their legacies it's a great honor for one school to receive this distinction but all five of our schools once again were renewed with this award from our state there's no monetary award tied to this it we were just simply driven uh to earn this distinction out of a strong commitment to our veterans our service members in our community the mutual respect between our local veteran organizations and our school system is something we value deeply and we're thankful for this particular State honor that it recognizes this partnership we would especially like
016to thank our school principls Miss Tracy and our school board for their dedication to this process and their willingness to go above and beyond for the heroes of our nation thank you [Applause] ladies and gentlemen God Bless the USA performed by our very own Brown County High School jazz band and Rap City show choir soloist senior Lily [Applause] voils [Music] if tomorrow all the things were gone you worked for all your life and you had to start again with just your children and your wife you thank your lucky stars to be living here today cuz the flag still stands for freedom and they can't take that away and I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free and I won't forget the men who died who gave that fright to me
017and I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today cuz there ain't no doubt I love this land God Bless the USA from the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee across the plains of Texas from from sea to shining sea from Detroit down to Houston and New York to LA where there's pride in every American Heart and it's time we stand to say that I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free and we won't forget the men who died who gave that right to and I'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today cuz r no doubt I love this land God Bless the USA and I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free and we won't
018forget the men who died who gave that right to me and I'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today cuz there ain't no doubt I love this land God bless the [Applause] youa good morning my name is Trent Austin I am the proud principal here Brown County High School it is my honor this morning to recognize three of our students who have made the commitment to serve in our Armed Forces when I call you by name will you please stand and be recognized first of all Ethan [Applause] Baker Ethan will serve in the Army Dalton Fannon Army [Applause] me and Austin PA Marines thank you so much for your future service thanks [Applause] guys we are fortunate today to have with us our friends in the Indiana State House Representative Dave
019Hall and Senator Eric cook in his first year in office representative Hall successfully offered a bill that requires all high school students to take personal finance before graduation thanks to his efforts our students will understand how to budget and manage their accounts we are grateful for his his commitment to our region and to the education of our students thank you representative [Applause] Hall and at this time I would like to welcome Senator Eric cook to the podium to share a few words prior prior to serving as a state senator Mr cook served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 2002 to 2016 we are grateful for his leadership as he has served not only in Brown County but the counties of Jackson Lawrence orange and parts of Monroe County ladies and Gentlemen please welcome Senator
020Eric [Applause] cook thank you superintendent Tracy it's an honor to be here today as we celebrate our freedoms and recognize the veterans whose service protects our nation in some ways however today is also a solemn one as we honor the Fallen remember the military families now separated from their loved ones and never forget those PS and M represented by the empty chair we're also inspired by our three en listies Ethan Dalton and Austin thank you for answering the call to serve following in footsteps from Lexington and Concord to Gettysburg to Flanders Fields to Omaha Beach to Heartbreak Ridge to quesan to fuia and Kandahar and to the veterans who we honor here today on behalf of the state of Indiana thank you for your service God bless you all God bless our veterans and God
021bless the United States of America thank [Applause] you I'm also honored to get the opportunity to introduce our keynote speaker for today's ceremony Mr Eric coin Eric serves as the chancellor of IV Tech community colleges Bloomington Indiana camp campus Eric attended the US Air Force Academy in Colorado and served in a variety of Business program management and legal positions during his military career rising to senior officer rank of Colonel an Iraq war veteran with assignments Around the World Eric has served in the Pentagon as a deputy legal council to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and special Council to the Air Force's senior military attorney additionally he has twice served as general counsel on military installations in demanding locations and spoke frequently on leadership and professional development ladies and Gentlemen please welcome Mr
022Eric [Applause] coin good morning it is a real pleasure to be here this is F fantastic event um all the Patriots pen and voice of democracy students congratulations that's fantastic Lillian I don't know where where you are uh thank you so much what a uh inspiring message are is your local government here today are your parents here the city government your local government well thank you very much that was awesome and then the rendition of uh God Bless the USA from Lee Greenwood uh you know I joined the service uh about 31 years ago and Lee Greenwood's song came out at about that time and so I have basically grown up in the military with that song so it was it brought back a flood of memories um one of my mentors uh General Carlos
023Perez passed away tragically uh right after he retired from the service and he did exactly what you Gent did is when you sang and I gladly stand up he would jump to his feet and of course we all would jump to our feet because he was the General and uh and so it just brought back in FLA memory so thank you very much and thank you superintendent Tracy for asking me to be here today and the honor to speak uh it is not one I take lightly I have not worn this uniform since my retirement ceremony three years ago and just a warning to everybody when you put put things in storage they shrink so but uh but thank you very much it's a honor to represent the veteran community and I thank every veteran
024here for their service to our family members thank you for your service I know when I was deployed it was my wife who had the hardest job we had two toddlers at home all I had to do was get up in the morning go eat food was provided for me go go to work go out go eat some more go back to work go eat some more lot of coffee and then I would talk to her at the end of the day and she's running ragged with dealing with kids and having no idea where I was as I sort of traveled all over Iraq and so it's the families that we often don't spend enough time thanking because they bear a burden of worry and taking care of our homes while we're deployed so thank
025you very much to our family [Applause] members and to Brown County I'd like to thank Brown County because you are a part of my military origin story now bear with me I grew up in Bloomington but my parents absolutely loved Brown County my dad used to uh come over here and practice law my mom love we used to come to Nashville my mom loved the candy shop because she could get black licorice there and it was the only thing my brother and I would not eat in our house we ate and drank and everything else but I tell you what that black licorice she could have to herself so we would come over here quite a bit and of course one of the things we would do is go to Brown County State Park and
026a Martin Lodge and and now I want you to imagine me much smaller I had a lot more hair uh bright blonde hair I would love to have that back but uh lot smaller and and here's what I knew about a Martin Lodge they had amazing fried biscuits and apple butter and it was named after one of our presidents Abe Lincoln and so I had this fascination with AB Lincoln so you got to be a young young kid again uh and I thought Abe Lincoln who grew up in Indiana obviously loved fried biscuits and apple butter and he started a restaurant because why wouldn't you start a restaurant in Brown County State Park because you love fried biscuits and apple butter and then you went on to become president and do all those great things
027and that just inspired me to learn more about AB Lincoln and so I did and as I learned more about him I became inspired by him and if you look at my grade school book reports year after year after year they were generally on Abraham Lincoln who I think most of us would agree was one of our greatest presidents and the thing about Abe Lincoln and the connection I drew with him was his character his leadership and his willingness to stand up to traitor in tyranny to keep our country together and keep our country United now naturally I I eventually learned that he did not create a restaurant in Brown County State Park but to this day no one has been able to prove to me that he did not love fried biscuits and apple
028butter as much as I did so we still have that connection going for us so I mentioned my parents my mom is from Germany and as a boy we would visit Germany and I saw firsthand the effects when tyrants are not checked when we allow for people to rule over us against our will when we allow democracy to crumble countries were literally destroyed and divided walls were built families were split apart my family was split apart between West and East Germany countless lives were lost and our history our Collective history the history of the world was changed forever but on both of these wars in the Civil War and in World War II our United States stood on the side side of right and our military stood up to the aggressors and won our military
029preserved our freedom the freedom you heard about in Lillian's great version of God Bless the USA our veterans went to far away lands and preserve freedom to protect us and other people as well so when you think about the lessons I learned learned an experience I had as a boy seeing a civil war firsthand excuse me not firsthand seeing a civil war Through The Eyes of a little boy whose Boyhood hero was a fellow hooer understanding how World War II impacted my family directly you can understand why I chose to serve because we must never allow tyrants to succeed we must ensure families are not not split apart and it falls to our veterans to stand up and provide that security our friends families and children have then an opportunity to thrive in our great
030country so I want to thank my fellow Veterans for standing up and taking the oath to serve for helping keep my family safe a little over 31 years ago I did take that same oath and later that year on November 11th I celebrated my first Veterans Day as a military member in uniform and I would continue to wear that uniform for 28 years until my retirement and I will proudly say this is the same service dress coat I was issued many many years ago I had an amazing time in my career I had incredible experiences from soloing an airplane to jumping out of them to getting to ride in an F-16 fighter jet meeting heads of state helping people in their times of need serving at the highest levels in our government and deploying to
031far away lands there are some amazing and awesome stories to be told I had the immense honor of presenting Flags to families at military funerals and along the way I met and served with the most amazing fantastic people in fact I met my wife who I went to the Air Force Academy with and she's also retired Colonel and I bet every veteran here in this room has their own awesome stories to share so I encourage you to meet with them ask them to share their story learn what cool things they did learn how their time in the military helped them grow as an individual learn about camaraderie and teamwork learn about service because we veterans now more than ever need to share our stories I'm told that the chairs and the rows in this gymnasium
032used to go further back full of veterans and as the years go by the RADS dwindle and so I would say as a veteran it's our responsibility to serve again and share our stories so future Generations these future veterans can understand what it is to serve it's not what you see in the movies there's Fierce friendship Fierce camaraderie there's many many more stories to be shared and I would encourage you to share your story and I would encourage all of you here today to seek them out and ask them for their stories so as I close I want to again thank our veterans and families for their service and sacrifice and to the Brown County Community for honoring us today and also a special shout out to Brown County State Park uh for confusing a
033little boy uh but making the best fried biscuits and apple butter I've ever had I've lived all over the world and nothing comes close to those so I'm just saying uh it it is funny how as a young age those things matter and those things actually made a difference for me so today I want to say happy Veterans Day to everybody enjoy this day thank you so much for having me here today what a terrific celebration may God bless you United States of America thank you very [Applause] much I have and I have one special request uh so when I became Chancellor at ivtech they gave me an Instagram Channel Chancellor coin and I always forget to do this but I'm supposed to take a selfie so we can put it on there so if
034you'd all bear with me we're going to you're all laughing because I'm like all your parents and older ages and you're like what's he doing so here we go all right everybody smile one two three all right thank you very much Happy Veterans [Applause] Day thank you so much I also want to take just a moment to thank our all of our special guests today representative Hall Senator cook Mr R Bill Hamilton Mr Ed ritesman our student helpers Alicia and Emily I want to thank our outstanding musicians who are assisting with our program today the Brown County High School history Club our high school and middle school choirs that are led by Jackie list the high school band Led by director Matthew Finley and a additional thank you a sincere to Alicia Adams and Emily
035lellan they have a Relentless pers suit to support our military family in Brown County and like they spoke earlier that's resulted in all five of our schools within the district receiving that purple star designation thank [Applause] you and at this time this concludes our ceremony veterans when the music begins our students will greet you and we'll dismiss You by row into the auxiliary gym where you will have your picture are taken all veterans widdows and your families are invited to stay for the luncheon thank [Applause] you for