It wasn’t yet Veterans Day, but students at Ridgeway Community School still took time to honor those who’ve served in war during a program at the school Nov. 6. The kids and a handful of guests gathered in the gymnasium to hear Lieutenant Colonel Scott Morcomb, a 22-year veteran of the United States Army who served in the first Persian Gulf War and has completed two tours of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The one-hour program started with the posting of colors by a group of Legionnaires from Winona American Legion Post 9. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, three students read a short interpretation on the history of Veterans Day, which initially began as the celebration of Armistice Day in 1919, when President Woodrow Wilson set aside Nov. 11 to remember the symbolic end of World War I. It was also a day to honor all those who served in the war.

In 1954, after World War II and the many sacrifices made by soldiers of that war, the holiday was amended to include those veterans, and all those who served in subsequent wars. The day was renamed Veterans Day.

Following the lesson, Morcomb spoke to the students. He told them he was a pilot in the U.S. Army, and had flown several dignitaries, including General David Petraeus, during his time in Iraq, the last tour of which he just returned from a month ago. While there, he also carried the title of Operations Officer.

“I’ve been to nearly every country in Europe, the Middle East, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,” Morcomb said.

He then asked the students if they had any family members who’ve served in war, to which several replied they had uncles and grandfathers. He said Veterans Day is meant to salute all those veterans, from those as far back as the Revolutionary War, to those who’ve just come home from Iraq. He told the students to remember their relatives n living and deceased n who served their country when it called on them.

Morcomb also quizzed the students on their knowledge of the United States. He asked each grade level a question, and for a correct answer, he awarded them military Coins of Excellence, which are given to personnel in the service who performed far beyond what is expected.

The program ended, with the singing of several patriotic songs and the dedication of the school’s new flag pole.

Morcomb is from the Ridgeway area, and his father helps out at the Ridgeway School. He’s spoken before to various groups in Winona, but never to a group this young, he said. When asked what Veteran’s Day means to him, a recent veteran, he said it’s another time to reflect and think about the sacrifices men and women are making to ensure freedom.

“I think about the sacrifices prior veterans have made,” he said, “the physical hardships, endurance, dedication and the spirit of the soldiers of these wars. It’s just another day to reflect on that.”

He also recognized the people he served with, the young people today who chose to serve.

“They’re pretty great, too,” he said.

The school tries to honor veterans in some way each year, school coordinator Jodi Dansingburg. Some years, parents or family members who are veterans come in and talk to the classes. But this year, because of its new flag pole, it decided to have a more formal program.

It’s important, she said, for students to know about and observe Veteran’s Day.

“I think it’s an important holiday for the students to understand not only the purpose of it, but the history of how it came to be,” Dansingburg said, “so they can show their appreciation…for the sacrifices people make so they can have some of the freedoms they have.”