Two longtime military service members with decades of service between them shared their reflections at Riverside’s Veterans Day ceremony Tuesday, Nov. 11, receiving a warm welcome from students and staff.
High School student council members ensured that all preparations for the ceremony and breakfast went smoothly. They teamed up with staff and worked behind the scenes to organize all of the details for the special day for the approximately 60 veteran guests in attendance.
To begin the ceremony, one of the longtime service members, DeGraff resident Curt Fry, was presented with a special honor — a folded flag that had flown over the Logan County Courthouse during September from Logan County Commissioner Michael Yoder.
A Riverside High School graduate who left high school early in 1968 to join the U.S. Marine Corps, Fry served in the Marine Corps and the Reserves from 1968 to 1978. Riverside later issued him a diploma for his 1969 graduation.
Then in 1983, Fry also joined the Ohio National Guard, continuing until 2002.
During his lengthy time in the service, Fry was awarded multiple commendations, including the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation. The infantry member was wounded in action in Vietnam during 1969, but said he was treated there in a hospital for one month and carried out of the rest of his tour of duty in Vietnam after that.
Fellow decorated veteran, guest speaker U.S. Army Sgt. Major Binkley from Delphos also shared his service story with students and others in attendance. He spoke about the many dangerous soldiers faced head-on in the jungles of Vietnam, and the difficulty of only being able to communicate with family back home via letter writing, as cell phones and other electronic communication weren’t available at all.
In total, Sgt. Major Binkley, served 26 years in the Army and the Army Reserve, retiring in 1995.
His first time in DeGraff, the guest speaker said it “melted his heart” to see all of the elementary students waving flags for the veterans as they made their way to the gymnasium for the ceremony. He encouraged the youngsters to continue that type of outreach.
“If you see a veteran out of about, wearing a veteran hat, talk to them and say, ‘Thank you.’ They love to have young people talk to them. Ask them about their service.”
To conclude the ceremony, Majesty Quartet members Tim Walls, Rob Kilgore, Ward McBrien and Jerry Zellers performed a selection of patriotic and sacred songs as a slideshow played, featuring photos of military service members from the area, many of whom are Riverside High School graduates or have ties to the district.
The slideshow and the number of service members it honors has grown significantly over the years. Superintendent Dr. Scott Mann said they’re able to add new military personnel to the slideshow each year, to create this meaningful tribute, featuring students’ grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, parents, cousins, neighbors, school staff members and friends.
Majesty Quartet has made it a tradition over the past decade to share their vocal talents each year at the Veterans Day ceremony, with members noting “it’s a real blessing to be here; this wouldn’t be possible at many other schools.”
