Tucson Country Day School hosted a Veterans Day ceremony to honor all local veterans. Students invited family members who are veterans or active-duty military members to join in on the 7th annual celebration.
22 veterans gathered at TCDS to share memories about their time served. The veterans were celebrated by over 540 students, teachers, and staff.
The waves of small American flags took over the crowd of students, who also created handmade thank-you notes for the veterans.
In attendance was, Aaron Soetaert, a United States Air Force veteran.
"This is my first time ever coming and it was out of this world," said Soetaert.
His daughter, Kylie, is a 5th grader at TCDS.
"It feels nice to have him come and see him and perform in front of everybody," Kylie said. "I'd be pretty nervous if I was him."
He says spotting his daughter in the crowd cheering loudly for him is something he'll always remember.
"That's what we serve for, you know, is to protect and serve all the people back stateside," Soetaert said. "So, to see all these smiling and happy kids and just to understand that they have those freedoms to enjoy. It definitely -- I felt honored for sure."
Following the heartfelt ceremony, students and their families shared breakfast before heading off to class.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing [email protected] or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.