La Porte County residents gathered Friday, November 10, 2023, to thank, honor and pay their respects to local veterans, and St. John’s Elementary School was proud to be included.

St. John’s 5th-8th grade students attended the 36th annual Veterans Day Ceremony.

The guest speaker for La Porte’s 36th annual Veterans Day Ceremony, Chief Warrant Officer 5 George Edward Lawson, an Iraq veteran, told those gathered at the Civic Auditorium it was an honor to represent them.

Mr. Lawson is a La Porte native, and attended Kingsford Heights Elementary School.

One 7th grader mentioned, “Two things I enjoyed about the day are when Veterans and families of Veterans stood when they heard the song that went with their military branch.”

Another comment came from a St. John’s employee. “The most memorable part for me is when Chief Warrant Officer 5 George Edward Lawson mentioned the Vietnam War. Mr. Lawson stated that the men and women coming home from that war were not treated with the respect they deserved. He asked for those Veterans and families of Vietnam Veterans to stand and be recognized. My dad served in Vietnam.”

St. John’s Eagles were honored to be a part of the Veteran’s Day Program.