On November 11, Alliance High School held a Veteran’s Day assembly to honor those in our community who have served in the Armed Forces. To begin the assembly, Principal George Clear asked those who served in various wars to stand up and be recognized. Veterans from World War II, the Vietnam War, the Cold Wars, and the most recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were in attendance. The former servicemen and women all donned gear from their respective divisions.

After being recognized, those in attendance watched a 25 minute interview with Dr. Wayne Hillman, a World War II veteran. He lived in Iowa for most of his life, where he received a Bachelor of Science as well as a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. The interview was performed by Social Studies teacher Michael Baker, and was edited and produced by Mrs. Roberts. He told of his many adventures and plights during the war, while the video showed pictures of him in uniform during his time in the service. The Alliance High School band then played the theme from the HBO television series, the Pacific.

When the band was done, Dr. Cork Taylor, a dentist from Alliance and former Marine Corps engineer, relayed various stories from his time in the Marines as well as giving a description as to what his job was. He told of 15-mile walks before sunrise with his “squad”, which swept the landscape that their other comrades would walk later in the day, for landmines. After his time in the Marines, Dr. Taylor chose to go back to school and become a dentist, a profession in which he remained until his retirement in 2011.

The assembly was concluded with a short video to honor America’s brave veterans.

The Spud thanks former and current veterans for having the courage to fight for this great nation’s freedom. Happy Veteran’s Day!