Freedom Hall

A few years back, the student council at our high school designated the large hall outside the auditorium lobby as "Freedom Hall." We were at war and they wanted to honor the men and women serving in the military.

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Student artists sketched large images of the seals of the various military branches on the walls.
FEA Club (Future Educators of Arizona) decided to honor our veterans on Veteran's Day by displaying their names on stars taped to the walls of Freedom Hall.

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They asked the entire district, both staff and students, for information on family and friends who had served our great country, past or present.
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As you can see, they got a huge response. They ended up putting almost 1,300 stars on the walls of Freedom Hall!
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Yesterday I decided to check out the wall while I was running errands with one of my students (that's Raquel in the top photo), and we went looking for the stars of my 4 uncles, whose names I had submitted.

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When I saw all those stars, my first thought was, "No way!" It did take a few minutes, but I found them all. At left are stars for my uncles Ernie Butler (Marines, World War II, turret gunner on a TBF) and LeRoy Haley (Army, Korean War).

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Here is the star for my uncle Johnny Shields, who served in the Army's 8th Air Force in World War II in England.

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Below is the star for my uncle Elmer Stokes, who served in the Military Police for the Army during World War II.
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My family and I wish to express our deepest gratitude to all those who served and all those who gave their lives to defend this great land.
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It is a privilege to live in the United States of America, the land of freedom, and we are honored to know and love just a few of those who bought that freedom at great price. God bless you all.