Each year, Veterans Day is a time to pause and warmly appreciate every man and woman who has ever served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Christ School showed its gratitude Monday with a number of tributes.
Greenies intentionally chose Monday to conclude the 22 Push-Up Challenge before the start of classes. Students have been meeting in front of Wetmore Hall to do 22 push-ups for 22 mornings to raise awareness for veterans suicide prevention. The number 22 is significant as the U.S. States Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 22 veterans commit suicide each day.
Monday’s Assembly in Pingree Auditorium was specially-themed. Principal Ron Ramsey read aloud two World War I poems: “Two Germany,” by British Army officer Charles Hamilton Sorley and “In Flanders Fields” by Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. Headmaster Paul Krieger then read the names of Christ School faculty and staff who have served in the military along with their highest rank – Colin Billings (Army, Lieutenant), Mark Crawford (Army, Major), Marcel Duhaime (Coast Guard, Lieutenant), Jennifer MacDonald (Army Intelligence, Corporal), Mike Mohney (Navy, Lieutenant), Lindsay Raiford (Army Nursing Corps, Major), Les Thornbury (Navy, Lieutenant), and Tad Wheeler (Marines, Sargeant).
Mr. Krieger shared a video from Saturday’s broadcast of NBC Nightly News which featured Marshall Plumlee ’11. Plumlee is a former McDonald’s All-American for Christ School who went on to play basketball for Duke University and in the NBA. He graduated from the U.S. Army Ranger School in September, a milestone that received national coverage at the time as well.
Finally, Greenies had a chance to check out a scaled replica M3 Stuart tank built by Ethan Park ‘23 in the Christ School Physics lab. The M3 Stuart was an American light tank used in World War II.