Just before the music and the fanfare got under way during Thursday's Veterans Day celebration at Neil Armstrong Elementary School, Kimberly Gnall teared up at the thought of a speech James Kuchwara gave years ago.
As one of the first speakers of the newly formed celebration, Mr. Kuchwara's speech about his experiences in the Vietnam War were going to set the bar high, Ms. Gnall, the school's music director, said.
She didn't know just how high he would set it.
"He stood up there, he had a whole speech planned, but when he got up there and saw what was taking place, he couldn't speak," Ms. Gnall said, adding that the size of the crowd and its affection for his service caught Mr. Kuchwara off guard. "It took 40 years to be welcomed home. That man was never welcomed home."
Ever since, the annual veterans celebration has become a tradition, offering patriotic music from the school's chorus and band and speeches from local veterans.
Annual tribute
Thursday night was no exception as the sixth annual event packed hundreds of people into the school's auditorium to pay tribute to those who have served their country.
Rebecca Abdo, 12, is a seventh-grader at Northeast Intermediate and a Neil Armstrong Elementary graduate who has participated in the event for several years.
Each year, she is eager to help out and show that she cares about the men and women who served.
"If nobody did care, then there wouldn't be a holiday," Rebecca said. "It's important to remember them for what they did."
One of her friends, Leanna Fuller, 11, said the part of the event that strikes her the most is the ceremonial flag folding. During each event, it is customary to fold the flag while remembering the significance of what it means to serve.
"Liberty, freedom, justice," Leanna said. "Those are some of the things."
Worth fighting for
One of the veterans honored Thursday night served as a "grunt," or foot soldier, in the Army during the Vietnam War.
Willie Offord, a Scranton resident, said it is a good thing that the turnout at the Neil Armstrong event is consistently so high.
"We can let the kids know we are fighting for their freedom," Mr. Offord said.
When he first went to the ceremony last year, he was not expecting so many people. He admitted that when he saw the crowd, he got a little choked up and wanted to tell the children he was proud to fight for their future.
"You don't really want to talk about the horrors you've seen in Vietnam, but for them (the children), I would go back in a minute," Mr. Offord said. He added with a laugh: "But I don't think they would take me. I'm 66."
Mr. Kuchwara still can get choked up talking about his experiences in Vietnam. He does not consider this celebration, or any celebration for Veterans Day, to be about him.
"To me, and our fellow veterans that came home, we reflect on those who never made it back," Mr. Kuchwara said. "We remember our brothers who did not make it home."
Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT on Twitter