J.H. Williams honors veterans during program in Abbeville

Those who have served this country will receive well-deserved recognition this Monday on Veterans Day.
J.H. Williams Middle School in Abbeville helped get a jump start  Friday morning on thanking those who have sacrificed so much. The school welcomed members of the various branches of the armed forces for its annual veterans program.
“This is so important for our kids to see what these veterans have given up,” J.H. Williams Principal Dana Primeaux said of the program’s importance. “They have given so much of themselves and their families so that we can enjoy the privileges we do.”
The students have shown a respect for the sacrifice of so many in the military. Three students, one from each sixth, seventh and eighth grade, read winning essays about “What Patriotism Means to Me.” Cha’lisa Duhon (6th), Kell Broussard (7th) and Kieu Tran (8th) were among hundreds of students who took part.
“What does patriotism mean to me?” asked Duhon, reading from a portion of her essay. “Patriotism is love or devotion for one’s country.”
She said, “The very sound of the word brings feelings of loyalty and pride to my heart.”
Broussard said in his essay that patriotism brings all persons in this country together.
“Because every person possesses a patriotic spirit,” Broussard said, “all Americans are united together as one. When I personally hear the word “patriot,” I think of all the good qualities in Americans.
“Those excellent characteristics are what describe and define a true patriot to me.”
Tran said the word itself brings a familiar feeling.
“You can view patriotism as the same concept of family,” Tran said. “The ideas of patriotism and family are similar because they both share the ideas of loving and aiding one another without hesitation.
“A country, as a whole, is a close family.”
The students’ understanding earned a level of respect from their principal.
“I am very proud of our students from all grade levels,” Primeaux said. “I am so proud of what their essays said.”
Along with many veterans from around Abbeville and Vermilion Parish, the students heard from a guest speaker familiar to the school. Theresa Holmes, who served more than two decades in the Marines, came to J.H. Williams as a teacher in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina forced a move from her native New Orleans.
“I am so humbled to be here today,” Holmes told those in attendance.
Holmes, who now works in the central office of the Vermilion Parish School Board, said the day proved special not only because of the veterans, but also the location.
“I wanted to tell the students that this is home and home is where the heart is,” Holmes said afterward. “It was special to be able to speak to them.”
Holmes spoke about her entry into the Marines and service thereafter.
“I was going about my life and one day I looked at some old scrapbooks of my parents,” Holmes said. “I saw a picture of my father, who was a World War II veteran in the U.S. Army. So I thought to myself that I had to do something. My father had two children and one had to follow in his footsteps.
“I did it to be patriotic to my country.”
Patriotism proved the lasting message Friday morning in the presence of so many who have shown the true meaning of the word.
“I honor my country when showing patriotism,” Duhon read as she closed her essay. “Patriotism made our country what it is today.”