By SEAN BARRON

Correspondent

BOARDMAN — Most service members are grateful to be acknowledged and appreciated for how they served the nation, but neither expression has to stop with a mere “thank you,” an area lawmaker and U.S. Navy veteran says.

“They sacrificed holidays, birthdays and family life,” said state Rep. Don Manning, R-New Middletown. “A little recognition goes a long way.”

He was one of two keynote speakers for a 45-minute Veterans Day assembly Monday at Boardman Glenwood Junior High School. The student-led program honored veterans of all military branches as well as their family members and loved ones. Also remembered were prisoners of war and those missing in action.

Manning, who served about three years in the Navy in the 1980s, much of it aboard the U.S.S. CV-59 supercarrier, told the students and others that not only is it important to thank veterans for their sacrifices, but to more fully consider and understand what they’re being thanked for.

Other ways students can express such appreciation to those who served the country include asking what they did in the military or, if that’s too painful for them, inquiring about what they’re doing now; featuring veterans on the students’ social-media pages; asking service personnel to share their stories, then listening patiently to them; and donating to or volunteering for Disabled American Veterans, the Wounded Warrior Project and other related organizations. In addition, they can place flags next to veterans’ headstones, but, perhaps most importantly, exercise their right to vote, Manning stressed.

“Use your right to make your voice heard,” he implored.

The other speaker was Maj. Vito Abruzzino, director of the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission and a member of the 910th Airlift Wing at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna.

Those who enlist in the military raise their hands and take a solemn oath to defend the Constitution and protect the homeland “to keep war from coming to our doorsteps,” said Abruzzino, who’s also a West Virginia University College of Law graduate.

Not everyone shares the same level of patriotism, and some have little, but regardless, it’s vital to live your lives to the fullest and strive to fulfill your calling, he told the students.

It’s also imperative to thank veterans’ family members and loved ones, many of whom had to deal with not having them home for long periods, said Abruzzino, who had such loved ones in the audience stand to applause during his remarks.

The assembly also featured a Table of Remembrance to honor and remember POWs and MIAs, in which a number of items with sobering symbolism were placed next to or on top of it.

For example, a single chair was set for one, a white cloth was to honor soldiers’ pure intentions for serving, a salt shaker represented loved ones’ tears for the missing soldiers, a black napkin was symbolic of the sorrow as a result of the soldiers who were missing, a candle stood for peace and a red rose was added to represent the hope that one day they will return.

In addition, about 40 Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. veterans were asked to stand as songs representing their military branches were played. The Boardman High School Orchestra also played several patriotic numbers.

Vince Carnevale, a BGJHS eighth-grade history teacher, said that many of his students were proactive in making the Veterans Day appreciation assembly possible.

Carnevale recalled that a few months ago, he asked fellow teachers to recruit students whom they felt would wish to speak at the event, then he met with those students to ensure they were still willing to participate. All were on board with the project and underwent three rehearsals, he said.

“Usually we don’t have anybody who says no,” Carnevale added. “The kids were all so willing to come in. They do a great job.”

The history teacher said he also began to contact potential speakers as early as last August.