Story and photos by Carol Montana
GRAHAMSVILLE, NY (November 11, 2010) – Tri-Valley Central School in Grahamsville held two very special assemblies on the day before Veterans Day 2010.
Tyler Eckhoff, secondary school Student Council advisor and 7th grade Social Studies teacher, together with his council and secondary school principal Jeffrey Bennett, decided the school should do something for Veterans Day. “The Elementary School has done things in the past, but we wanted to do something for the entire school this year,” said Eckhoff.
It was an all-day celebration. In the morning, the elementary classes made cards for military personnel at the local Veterans’ hospital in Montrose. “And during their lunch period, the secondary school students wrote letters to current military personnel serving in Afghanistan. We had just under 100 letters written today,” Eckhoff said.
At mid-afternoon, two assembles were held, one each for the elementary school and the secondary school. Onstage were 11 Veterans who sat quietly as the students filed noisily into the Tri-Valley Theatre.
The Veterans had been invited via and e-mail sent to all parents, an ad in the Tri-Valley Townsman, contact with the Sullivan County Veterans’ Service Agency and an automated phone message placed to all students’ homes. 
“We asked all the students, faculty and staff to ask any Veterans they knew to attend,” said Eckhoff.
As the ceremony got underway, the Pledge of Allegiance was led by the local Boy Scout Troop and a group of students sang The National Anthem. Each Veteran was introduced along with their rank and the military theatre in which they served. Two of the attendees, Retired Air Force Colonial Norm Nielsen, who served in Vietnam as an F-4 pilot, and his brother, John R. Nielsen who also served in Vietnam as a Chief Warrant Officer, are Tri-Valley alumni.
The Keynote speaker was Retired Major Richard Ehrmann, (photo below) who served in Vietnam from 1967-68, and has a total of 30 years of military service.
He told the students about what it means to be a Veteran, borrowing the popular anonymous definition currently traveling the Internet, “A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America, for an amount of up to, and including his or her life.”
Major Ehrmann also talked about the experiences of war, and how different wars yield different experiences, and being part of the “band of brothers.” He told the students that being in the military means defending “two pieces of parchment, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”
At the end of the remarks, Matt Weyant conducted Tri-Valley High School Band in the “Song of the American Soldier,” a medley of patriotic American songs.
Before Mr. Eckhoff dismissed the students, he remind them to say “thank you to any Veteran you might see.”
Following the program, Student Council Vice President, Chris Whipple talked about how the assemblies were “an eye-opening experience for the students who might not understand the importance of Veterans Day.”
Whipple, a senior who lives in Neversink, has a letter of assurance to attend West Point in June of 2011. He has a meeting with a nomination committee from Congressman Maurice Hinchey’s office this coming Tuesday.
“I was happy that Major Ehrmann spoke, not just about the good times of being a soldier, but also the hard choices, giving up part of your life for service and being willing, ultimately, to give your life. It lit up my heart,” said Whipple. His grandfather served in 
Korea, and his sister is a graduate of West Point and is currently serving in Afghanistan.
“It’s important,” continued Whipple, “that people always remember those who have served our country. I think that after time, especially those who served in Vietnam, the older wars, the Persian Gulf War, they are forgotten and it’s a shame because they’ve done so much for this country.”
And after the ceremony was concluded, six smiling Veterans (left to right) Fernando Costa, Gary Wells, John Neilsen, Sandy Garzon, Richard Ehrmann, Norm Neilsen showed off the cards and magnets made for them by the Tri-Valley students.
To see more photos, or to purchase prints from Tri-Valley Schools Honor Veterans, visit The Catskill Chronicle on Zenfolio.
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The Catskill Chronicle 
Tri-Valley Schools Honor Veterans
November 11, 2010 by The Catskill Chronicle
Story and photos by Carol Montana
GRAHAMSVILLE, NY (November 11, 2010) – Tri-Valley Central School in Grahamsville held two very special assemblies on the day before Veterans Day 2010.
It was an all-day celebration. In the morning, the elementary classes made cards for military personnel at the local Veterans’ hospital in Montrose. “And during their lunch period, the secondary school students wrote letters to current military personnel serving in Afghanistan. We had just under 100 letters written today,” Eckhoff said.
At mid-afternoon, two assembles were held, one each for the elementary school and the secondary school. Onstage were 11 Veterans who sat quietly as the students filed noisily into the Tri-Valley Theatre.
The Veterans had been invited via and e-mail sent to all parents, an ad in the Tri-Valley Townsman, contact with the Sullivan County Veterans’ Service Agency and an automated phone message placed to all students’ homes.
“We asked all the students, faculty and staff to ask any Veterans they knew to attend,” said Eckhoff.
As the ceremony got underway, the Pledge of Allegiance was led by the local Boy Scout Troop and a group of students sang The National Anthem. Each Veteran was introduced along with their rank and the military theatre in which they served. Two of the attendees, Retired Air Force Colonial Norm Nielsen, who served in Vietnam as an F-4 pilot, and his brother, John R. Nielsen who also served in Vietnam as a Chief Warrant Officer, are Tri-Valley alumni.
The Keynote speaker was Retired Major Richard Ehrmann, (photo below) who served in Vietnam from 1967-68, and has a total of 30 years of military service.
He told the students about what it means to be a Veteran, borrowing the popular anonymous definition currently traveling the Internet, “A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America, for an amount of up to, and including his or her life.”
Major Ehrmann also talked about the experiences of war, and how different wars yield different experiences, and being part of the “band of brothers.” He told the students that being in the military means defending “two pieces of parchment, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”
Before Mr. Eckhoff dismissed the students, he remind them to say “thank you to any Veteran you might see.”
Following the program, Student Council Vice President, Chris Whipple talked about how the assemblies were “an eye-opening experience for the students who might not understand the importance of Veterans Day.”
Whipple, a senior who lives in Neversink, has a letter of assurance to attend West Point in June of 2011. He has a meeting with a nomination committee from Congressman Maurice Hinchey’s office this coming Tuesday.
“I was happy that Major Ehrmann spoke, not just about the good times of being a soldier, but also the hard choices, giving up part of your life for service and being willing, ultimately, to give your life. It lit up my heart,” said Whipple. His grandfather served in
Korea, and his sister is a graduate of West Point and is currently serving in Afghanistan.
“It’s important,” continued Whipple, “that people always remember those who have served our country. I think that after time, especially those who served in Vietnam, the older wars, the Persian Gulf War, they are forgotten and it’s a shame because they’ve done so much for this country.”
And after the ceremony was concluded, six smiling Veterans (left to right) Fernando Costa, Gary Wells, John Neilsen, Sandy Garzon, Richard Ehrmann, Norm Neilsen showed off the cards and magnets made for them by the Tri-Valley students.
To see more photos, or to purchase prints from Tri-Valley Schools Honor Veterans, visit The Catskill Chronicle on Zenfolio.
Click any service in this box to share this post with your friends!
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