Evans Elementary School students give surprise welcome to Navy Lt. Katie Calhoun to kick off Memorial Day weekend
Students at Evans Elementary School know that Memorial Day means more than just barbecues and trips to the beach.
That much was apparent on Friday, May 27, when the entire student body of Evans gathered outside the school before the long Memorial Day weekend to welcome Navy Lt. Katie Calhoun.
Calhoun, who hails from Lancaster, Pa., was originally told she was going Evans, where her aunt Joanne Hubert is a classroom aide, to speak to a class about her Navy service.
Little did Calhoun know that before arriving at the school she would be surprised with her own personal motorcade of police vehicles and veteran support group bikers to escort her to Evans where she would be greeted with roaring cheers of “Welcome Home” from hundreds of students, veterans, and other patriots at the school.
Once again coordinating the annual welcome event was Operation Yellow Ribbon of South Jersey, a non-profit group that supports veterans and those serving overseas through care packages and welcome home events.
Once Calhoun had arrived at Evans and was fully surrounded by students, Operation Yellow Ribbon chair Dave Silver told Calhoun that it was those like her that kept people like him and the students at Evans safe.
“This weekend is not about Barbecues. It’s not about going down the shore,” Silver said. “It’s about memorializing those who gave us the greatest gift that we could ever have and that’s to be here to gather freely and safely. All our veterans that served, all those that made the sacrifice, we’re so blessed and grateful.”
Calhoun graduated from The United States Naval Academy in 2010 with a degree in political science and was designated a Naval Flight Officer in 2012.
Over her career Calhoun has accumulated more than 1600 flight hours, including 545 combat flight hours, yet with smile on her face Calhoun told the crowd at Evans she still felt like she didn’t deserve such a welcome.
“I try everyday my hardest and I can’t believe you’re all out here like this just to welcome someone home, so I really do appreciate it,” Calhoun said.
Like Silver, Calhoun also noted the true meaning of Memorial Day as a day of remembrance for those who lost their lives serving their nation.
“It’s about people who have served this country and who have made the ultimate sacrifice, so if you can all remember that today, those are the true heroes of our nation,” Calhoun said.
Also at the event was Robert Smyth, a veteran acting on behalf of Congressman Tom MacArthur, who presented Calhoun with a congressional certificate and thanked her for her service.
“I’ve been deployed, I know what it’s like” Smyth said. “Welcome home, thank you for your service. To all the veterans here, welcome home and thank you. Remember, this is Memorial Day weekend — remember and think about those we lost.”
Evans principal Nicholas DiBlasi ended the ceremony by saying that once the students had returned to their classrooms they would get a “lesson like no other” when veterans from all branches of service would be visiting with the students to speak about their service.
“It’s really the commitment of the staff and I to continue to teach that valuable lesson of love of country, and that soldiers always deserve our respect regardless of the war,” DiBlasi said.
