NEENAH — Communities across Northeast Wisconsin celebrated and honored our veterans in many ways. Neenah High School was one of them.
Neenah High School held a Veterans Day event that featured the presentation of colors by local veterans, musical performances and a recognition of the veterans in attendance.
Matthew Colwell was recognized at the event for his five years of active duty in the army, serving in North Carolina. Colwell said he looks forward to Veterans Day because he gets to honor all those who have given so much.
“Everyone wants to thank me, but I want to spend the day thanking other veterans, especially those who came before me and paved the way to make things a lot better than what they had," Colwell said.
Another veteran celebrated was Karin Deimer, who served in the Army National Guard for 13 years and was commissioned as an officer in 2004.
She passed away from cancer but her memory lives on. She was honored with a park bench and dedication ceremony in Lion Park.
Loren Dieck said Outagamie County Parks came up with the idea to honor veterans with memorial benches last year.
“We can not ever thank our veterans enough for their service," Dieck said. "It’s a small thing we’re doing, but we want to make it visible in the community.”
There are many ways to honor and thank veterans everyday. Colwell said it's important we do so because serving our country is truly a sacrifice.
“To be a veteran...means it’s loving everyone enough to be willing to sacrifice yourself, especially for those who are different than you," Colwell said.
