Veterans get big 'thank you' from Geneva students

Geneva middle school students paid tribute to U.S. veterans Wednesday, in a ceremony and in their classrooms.

"I can't imagine what you went through, but I thank you," said student Tim Hope, in a message written about an uncle who is a staff sergeant in the Army.

The before-school ceremony, nearly an hour long, was attended by several hundred guests in the Geneva Middle School South cafetorium. Bands and choirs performed patriotic songs, and students read tributes to veterans. Posters thanking veterans for their service lined the driveway to the schools, as well as school hallways.

"If the world was perfect, I think that all veterans should have their names engraved in stone," student speaker Brian Dahlberg said.

Students gave certificates of appreciation to about 60 veterans, including Bob O'Brien of Naperville.

"I like it very much. They do a good job. They must really work on this a lot," said O'Brien, who was in the 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, from 1952 to 1955. He spent 15 months of that fighting in Korea. He attended the ceremony with granddaughter Megan Oliver, a seventh-grader at Geneva Middle School North.

After the ceremony, several veterans spoke to groups of students in the team centers at the schools.

When asked why they entered military service, two Vietnam War veterans gave perhaps-unexpected answers: one figured he would have better choices if he enlisted rather than wait to be drafted; and the other, who wasn't doing very well in his first semester in college, signed up on a whim after driving a friend to a military recruiting station. He ended up staying in the Air Force for eight years, then serving 20 years with the Air National Guard.

Coast Guard veteran Larry Zacher, who has a daughter attending Geneva Middle School South, explained what the Coast Guard does, and what its motto - "Semper Paratus" - means (Always Ready.)

"Most people don't realize we have served in all wars," said Zacher, who graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and spent 11 years in the service. "We are a big part of Homeland Security," fighting against smuggling, securing ports, and conducting search-and-rescue missions.

"It was one of the most enjoyable times of my life."