Natchitoches Central High School held its annual Veterans’ Day program honoring our community’s veterans on Friday, November 11. The entire student body gathered in the school’s main gym and participated in the event. The veterans were treated to breakfast in the NCHS cafeteria after which they were escorted into the gym by NCHS JROTC cadets. Veterans of each military branch were led by a cadet carrying their service’s flag as the student musicians played the service’s song. The NCHS cadet corps was on hand in dress uniforms to present the colors, perform for the crowd, introduce the speakers, organize, and run the program. The student musicians of the NCHS Band and Orchestra did their customary superb job, playing a selection of patriotic pieces throughout the program.
NCHS Principal Micah Coleman welcomed everyone. The guest speaker, Army First Lieutenant Alyssa Milner, is no stranger to NCHS. She is a 2016 alumna who played on the softball, swim, and soccer teams. She was also active in NCHS JROTC and was her class valedictorian. After high school, she attended the United States Military Academy at West Point where she graduated in 2020. Lieutenant Milner serves our nation as an explosive ordinance disposal platoon leader at Fort Hood, TX. She spoke of the journey that led her from Natchitoches to West Point, and of what you can accomplish if you put your mind to it.
The Natchitoches Central High School community is to be commended for the superb job they did in presenting this program. The cadets did a wonderful job of organizing and presenting the event. The musicians of the orchestra and band are incredibly talented young men and women. The student body’s decorum was truly remarkable.
The NCHS Veterans’ Day Program is a wonderful example of small-town life at its best. Thank you for inviting me.
