HILLS
In honor of veterans, both residents and community members, Atrium Village held a special Veterans Day Program on Friday, Nov. 10. Dressed in patriotic attire, attendees, which included …
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HILLS
In honor of veterans, both residents and community members, Atrium Village held a special Veterans Day Program on Friday, Nov. 10. Dressed in patriotic attire, attendees, which included residents, staff, visitors, and fifth and sixth students from nearby Hills Elementary, filled the meeting room.
Lone Tree American Legion Post 457’s Color Guard posted the colors, and the legion’s chaplain, Paul Hain, led the opening prayer.
“We can never fully repay our debt of gratitude to more than 750,000 American servicemembers who have lost their lives in battle, or the 1.4 million who were wounded. We can, however, recognize our 80 million veterans still living today,” Stephanie Kronlage, Atrium Village’s administrator, said in her welcoming remarks. “Today it is our pledge to say thank you to all American veterans, to let them know that we appreciate them for their service, and we honor them for their sacrifices.”
Marcie Droll-Durian, hospice care consultant at Gentiva Hospice in Hiawatha, read the poem, “In Flanders Fields,” written by John McCrae during WWI. Following the reading, nine residents of Atrium Village were recognized with certificates for their military service, as were one employee, the members of the color guard, and Kronlage’s own dad, whom she hugged warmly after presenting him with a certificate.
After a moment of silence in remembrance of those who gave their lives for our country, those gathered listed to a medley of songs from each branch of the service, followed by a closing prayer and benediction from chaplain Harold Scheer. In his words, Rev. Scheer urged the students present to “possibly make some connections” with the veterans in the room, and to “greet the veterans here, or any residents here, because everybody here knows somebody who gave their life for freedom or served in the military for several years.”
After the Color Guard retired the colors, Hills students did just that, filtering through the room, shaking the hands of Atrium Village residents and veterans and thanking them for their service.