By Trishna Buch
Last Friday, veterans were honored by Texas City Independent School District third graders when the students—from Heights Elementary School—placed flags on the various gravesites of veterans
at the Galveston Memorial Park Cemetery. The placing of the flags is part of a Thanking Our Veterans Program, which is funded by the Foundation For The Future and has been taking place for the past five years. Former educators Bill and Karyn Marshall have been an instrumental part of this program since its inception. According to an email sent to The Post from the Marshall’s “the program began in 2013 when third grade students and teachers assisted VFW Post 8248 in placing flags on veterans graves.” I had the opportunity to speak to Bill Marshall before the event. He told me that, not only does the program consist of students placing flags on veterans graves, but that there are several other events that allow the students to interact with and get to know the veterans. Marshall told me that the events start a few months before the placing of the flags and consist of a lunch, an assembly and a birthday bash. Each of these events are spaced out over the school year and provide opportunities for veterans and students to get to know each other and for the students to ask questions to the veterans. “The third graders will also adopt a veteran to honor them for their service,”
Marshall told me. He also told me that, this year, they were unable to hold the lunch, assembly and birthday bash as a result of Hurricane Harvey and the corresponding closure of La Marque
schools and the fact that the students from those schools came into Texas City schools. “In going through all of that, we had trouble putting the other events together,” Marshall told me. However,
starting in the next school year, the events will be back on as normal. Along with these events, which allow the students to meet and learn from veterans, Marshall told me that, throughout the school year, teachers can provide activities that teach the students about veterans and the sacrifices they make for the country—even if the veterans are not there during these classroom activities.
On Friday, the third graders were split into groups of three and—with the help of a volunteer—went around the cemetery, finding veteran’s graves and placing a flag next to it. Each group
consisted of one student making the hole, one student placing the flag and one student helping. They all took turns so each child had a chance to do each job. Most of the volunteers are either
veterans or wives of veterans and one of them told me that “you can find a veteran’s grave because it will have a cross on it and will, sometimes, say when they served.” After placing the flags at the cemetery, the group went over to Jack Brooks Park, where they toured a memorial and witnessed a 21-gun salute and the raising and lowering of the flag. I had the opportunity to speak to Frank DiBello, a veteran and first time attendee of this program. He expressed his appreciation to the VFW and TCISD for putting this program together. “It’s a fantastic program,” he told me. “It’s very
heartwarming to see these kids out here and to see that patriotism is still alive.” He told me that he plans to participate in the program every year, and hopes that more schools and school districts will do something similar. And Karyn Marshall said that “these students know the right questions to ask the veterans, they know how to behave and they are very respectful.”
