Students and teachers in the North Colonie school district invited community members to honor veterans for its thirteenth annual Veterans Day Celebration at Shaker High School on Wednesday, Nov. 5, where honored guests spoke of the Battle of the Bulge and eight veterans received the North Colonie Patriot Award.
This year, Frank DeSorbo, D-Day Revisited Association President, and Allan Atwell, the Association’s Vice President and World War II veteran, were the honored guests. Along with Shaker High’s wind ensemble and choir, DeSorbo and Atwell presented the community with a history of the Battle of the Bulge.
“It’s been an interest, a passion,” said DeSorbo of the D-Day Revisited Association, which held its first event in June 2011. During his presentation, DeSorbo told the audience of the importance of listening to veterans’ stories, as many of them are reluctant to share wartime experiences.
DeSorbo asked World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Desert Storm veterans who were in the audience to stand. “You young people will have in your lifetime and you will hear of the last veterans of those four wars,” he said. “You hear the stories, pass them on. Take advantage while the people are here.”
After a video from DeSorbo memorializing D-Day soldiers, Atwell spoke of his wartime history, which began in the summer of 1944. He painted a picture of looking over No Man’s Land, where he said, “At night, your imagination can do wonders.”
“A 19 year old kid grew up in a hurry,” Atwell told the audience of being under fire in an open field. He showed his cane, which was decorated with a history of his wartime record, including a list of medals he has received: A Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and the French Legion of Honor.
“In the past couple years, I’ve been amazed at how many people have come up and shaken my hand to say thank you, and I say thank you to them for their support,” he said.
Atwell and seven other local veterans received the North Colonie Patriot Award, presented by Shaker High World of Difference Club members Erin O’Brien and Peter Rossi. O’Brien said the award is the highest honor the district can present.
This year’s celebration offered more than usual. Outside of the high school’s main entrance, attendees were treated to a preview of North Colonie’s future veterans memorial.
Right now, the site holds dozens of flags and a banner. Social studies teacher Daniel Weaver said he is working with the high school art department to create more. He said he is hopeful the memorial will be completed within the next two years.
Organized by Weaver, the Veterans Celebration has become a long-standing tradition in North Colonie since the first event in 2002.
“I approached my supervisor at the time, who was Joe Corr, and basically said that we should have an event that gives back to the community and honors our veterans,” Weaver said. “It’s a community-wide celebration, not just the high school.”
Past events include a presentation from “Ghosts of War” author and East Greenbush native Ryan Smithson on his experience in the War on Terror, and last year’s “The Things They Carried” performance from 1999 Shaker graduate Billy Lyons.
Weaver said the celebration is usually attended by anywhere from 100 to 200 people, but he is hoping to see more as the years go on. Many of the audience members are usually veterans and family, who receive letters from the district inviting them to the event.
DeSorbo told students that those veterans were the ones they should be listening to in order to keep a legacy alive.
“It’s very interesting to hear some of these guys. I’ve asked questions, why haven’t they spoken about it? No one has an answer. They say, ‘Nobody wanted to hear it. Nobody would believe us.’ These guys, at that age, you just can’t let them fade away,” DeSorbo said.