HAHIRA – Valwood School celebrated veterans and active-duty military Wednesday morning.

Starting 14 years ago with only 32 veterans in attendance, the 2021 program honored more than 150 veterans, school officials said in a statement. 

Three of the 2021 attendees were veterans of World War II.

Middle school students make up the chorus and the majority of performances but the whole school is involved in the event, school officials said. First- and second-graders wave flags as the veterans arrive and upper school students help them inside and find their seats. 

Patriotic artwork by lower school students was on display in Rodgers Performance Hall. Everyone wears red, white and blue.

“I think it’s important for all of our students to understand what these veterans did for us and for them to have a chance to speak with them and hear their stories,” Vallye Blanton of Valwood School said. Blanton coordinates the school Veterans Day program.

Each branch of the military, including the Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force were recognized and asked to stand during their branch’s song. Following the program, veterans were treated to a brunch with the middle school students. Often upper school students come to the program to say hello to “their” veteran from when they were in middle school, school officials said.

The 2021 program included performances of Red Skelton’s Rendition of the “Pledge of Allegiance,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Navy Blue,” “Ragged Old Flag” and “Ballad of the Green Berets.”