Lumps in throats and misting eyes. 10 of us military veterans teamed to do the Veterans Day program last Friday in Shelby High School's theater.
On the stage we positioned 11 empty chairs. On each was a placard with the name and graduation year of the 11 SHS grads to die in uniform. Two were my teammates.
At the close of each session two Shelby High trumpeters played the "echo" version of Taps.
For us the single most touching moments came at the close of each session when several students came forward to shake our hands and thank us for service to country. We just weren't expecting that. Outside the theater in The Commons, many more youngsters approached us to give their thanks. We vets felt lumps forming in our throats and eyes misting.