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Monday, Nov. 11 was Veterans Day, and in honor of it, the O'Neill High School hosted their Veterans Day Program. Starting at 10:30 a.m., it was a time for people to get together and honor those who have served. Below is the speech from the day, delivered by Jenna Hoffman, who served in Iraq as part of the Nebraska National Guard. "Today, I would like to talk to you about veterans. A veteran is someone who served in the armed forces including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. I am a veteran. There are many veterans in this room. I am sure everyone knows a veteran. They are sprinkled throughout our families, communities, churches, schools, and neighborhoods. Being a veteran comes with stories, friendships, and sacrifices. These are what I will talk about today. Many veterans have stories. One of my stories is when Tom Osborne visited me in Iraq. I am not sure if he came just for me, but he was in my office and was a lot taller than me when we stood next to each other for a picture. My husband is also a veteran and has a story about mud. You see, the military will make you go camping, except they don't give you a camper or smores. My husband was "camping" in the field and sleeping on the ground. It was raining, so he hung a poncho liner over his sleeping bag to keep him dry. He woke up with rain drops on his face. It had rained so much, his sleeping bag slid down the hill in the mud while he was sleeping. Not the best way to wake up. My grandpa John Dvorak was a veteran, and he had a story. Grandpa left his girlfriend, my Grandma Helen, in Emmet, NE to go fight in World War II. He was a gunner, which means he would shoot a machine gun out the side door of the airplane. Grandpa's plane was shot down by enemy fire and crashed in Switzerland, which was a neutral country. He stayed in Switzerland until the war was over. He said they treated him pretty good, but there was not a lot of food, just small amounts of potato soup. He came home and married my Grandma Helen. They had 10 kids. I often think how different my story would have been, if he wouldn't have landed in Switzerland. Friendships are built in the military. Many veterans form special bonds with the people they serve with because they go through the same experiences together. Many of the experiences are good and some are hard. Many become lifelong friends. In fact, my husband's army buddy was passing through Nebraska recently and stopped at our house to visit. It had been 20 years since they last saw each other. I have traveled the world with some of the best people. My battle buddies included two girls from Holt County - Nicole and Kristen and a gal from Randolph named Traci. We get together every year with our families and pick up right where we left off from the year before. There are sacrifices in the military, some are small and some are large. When you join the military, you leave your home and go to basic training. You leave behind most of your belongings and get issued everything you need. Which does not include a cell phone, video games, TV, cars, makeup, or good water. We filled our water bottles out of the bathroom sink. I remember being allowed a watch in the 3rd phase of basic training and feeling like it was such a luxury to know the time. They take away all your normal clothes and issue everything in green. You travel the world, but not usually to nice places. You don't have the comforts of home - like being able to use a fridge or even a shower. You have to carry heavy things and it usually involves sweating. These are all some of the small sacrifices. More humbling is the extreme sacrifices some veterans have made. Some have fought the enemy. They had to see things with their eyes and hear things with their ears they can never forget. Some have been injured physically and mentally. Some never heal and carry their illness with them for the rest of their lives. Some have lost a battle buddy and have a piece of their heart missing. Some paid the ultimate sacrifice and never came home. We remember all veterans today. We do not want to forget their heroic actions taken to serve and protect our country and our freedoms. I thank all you for taking the time today to remember veterans. Please think of the veterans you know and remember them. Ask them about their service and thank them. I would like to take time now to thank each and every veteran in this room. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. I would like to close with a quote from George Washington: "The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation."
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