Military veterans shared their experiences and showed their appreciation to students who participated in a Veterans’ Day breakfast last year.
Held at Caring and Sharing Learning School in southeast Gainesville on Friday, “Veterans in The Classrooms” featured military veterans teaching students about the sacrifices they made by serving their country.
Charlie Jackson, who served in the Persian Gulf War, led the program and said he wanted CSLS students to know how much they are appreciated for their participation in last year’s Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s annual Col. Charles Young Veterans Day breakfast.
“This is very powerful as it provides the veterans with an opportunity to educate and express our appreciation for their performances at the veterans’ celebrations,” Jackson said.
Students who participated were given ice cream and a certificate of appreciation.
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“This is an excellent event he does,” said Curtis Peterson, a U.S. Marine veteran who serves as principal of the school. “We want to let them know that freedom isn’t free and see the people who protect them and sacrifice their time.”
The speakers during the event were: Walter Cason, a Vietnam War veteran; Ingrid Rincon, a U.S. Army veteran who is the program outreach specialist at the Department of Veteran Affairs Vet Center in Gainesville and Kizzy McCray-Sheppard, an U.S. Air Force veteran.
“These are very smart children,” Cason said. “They are educated, enthusiastic and inquisitive.”
Cason was drafted in 1969 and served in the Army for 27 years.
“The military teaches you responsibility and you can go and get your education with the help of the military,” Cason said. “Listen to your teachers, parents and you will accelerate.”
McCray-Sheppard, who served in the Air Force for nine years, said serving in the military helped her get an education.
She served as a medic in the Air Force and told the students how she was deployed to Tampa to set up a clinic to prepare the troops to go to New York when the terrorists’ attacks happened on Sept. 11, 2001.
“It is rewarding to talk to the youth,” McCray-Sheppard said. “It’s an honor to come and share my experience. It’s a joy to see them serve those who served the country. They may not understand the sacrifices in totality, but they are aware of them.”
Rincon talked about some of the services the Vet Center provides, such as counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder and bereavement counseling, and how it provides referrals for vocational rehabilitation, veteran affairs health care benefits and more.
The Vet Center in Gainesville is located at 105 NW 75th St., Suite #2, and its number is 352-331-1408.
A representative from the Alachua County Veteran Services Division also shared resources the county provides to the veterans.
Those who are interested can email alachuacountyvet@alachuacounty.us or call 352-264-6740.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Charter school in Gainesville gets visit from military veterans