On Memorial Day, which is May 30 this year, the veterans of the military are celebrated for serving their country, especially those who have died in doing so. Originally named Decoration day, the holiday was born out of the Civil War because General John Logan set it aside to remember the dead in the year 1868. They decorated the graves of the dead with flowers, which gave the day its original name, later changed by president Lyndon Johnson in 1966.
Steinbrenner has many veterans that are thanked for their service on Memorial Day. It can only be imagined by others how veterans feel on this day, and the things they think about. The veterans have Steinbrenner have done so much for the school and its students, first protecting their homeland and than coming back to serve all of their students, providing us with knowledge.
“I tried college, but at the time I was not the best of students so with my family’s military history I decided to get away from all of it and enlisted. I believe that the military is an awesome place for high school students that are unsure of what to do next. Not only did I receive excellent training, but I was able to live in Hawaii, Scotland, Maryland and Florida. I was also able to get a degree in computer science through the Navy,” said teacher Tracy Davis.
Davis was a cryptologist so she worked with a lot of the military technology such as radios and antennae.
“I really enjoyed the relationship with the people that I served with,” said Davis. “We are willing to do anything for each other and it’s wonderful.”
On Memorial day Davis will be reflecting on the people she has lost overseas and thinking of her family that has served.
Paul Thomas, an AP Environmental teacher as well as a Biology teacher, served in the Marine Core and in addition to his teaching job has volunteered as a fireman and a paramedic.
“I had a long family history of a tie to the Marine Core, so it was almost an expectation. The Marine Core training was definitely a good experience. I gained a lot of discipline and maturity, and I also managed to gain a lot of perspective.,” said Thomas.
Thomas likes to reflect on his training as a beneficial experience and remembers a lot of the people he served along side with a fondness. “I remember not only the people I served with, but also the people that didn’t make it, whether I served with them or not. Sacrifice, some people made and others made more.”
Domenic Colangelo does a lot around the school, and most students know him as the guy that fixes the computers or the elmos. Colangelo served in the Marine Core, seeing it as a challenge. “I grew up in a smaller home town and most of my friend’s began to take blue collar job’s out of high school. I didn’t really like those options and I also didn’t want to go to college so I went to the Marines,” said Colangelo.
Just like many of those who served Colangelo saw the Marines as a coming of age, something that brought him to maturity.
“In addition to confidence I also grew a bit of an ego, which helped me to accomplish a lot, but it also was a bit of a detriment as I tended to over estimate my abilities a bit. I do believe that the military can reveal what kind of person you really are because if you are weak it will crush you, but if you are strong, deep down on the inside, they will bring that out of you and show you how to be a leader,” said Colangelo.
Colangelo is gracious that the Marines turned him into a leader, as in high school he tended to be a follower. After graduating boot camp, he went out to California and was given a leadership role. Through the Marines he was able to complete not only his bachelor’s, but also his master’s degree. He is also thankful that he wasn’t put in the position where he didn’t have to take a life or lose many of his friends to war, and this is what he reflects on during Memorial Day.
On Memorial Day a special thank you should go out to all of the veterans that served and not just those at the school. The students should be grateful to all of those teachers that served, not just the few that spoke.
Nico Ocasio// Staff Writer
