Veterans honored, remembered at student-planned Plum High School tribute

Jennifer Killmeyer doesn’t fit into her Army uniform anymore, but her daughter does.

Madison Killmeyer, 16, a junior at Plum High School, wore her mother’s uniform Monday in a showcase of military uniforms that was part of her school’s Veterans Day tribute.

“I really like it. It’s cool we’re the same size,” Madison said. “It means even more that it’s my mother’s.”

Madison is among cadets in Plum High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC program who planned their school’s Veterans Day service, held in the auditorium for the entire student body.

The tribute recognized the hard work and sacrifices of veterans and is part of Superintendent Rick Walsh’s desire to integrate the school district more into the community, said retired Air Force Col. Paul Nosek, who manages the Junior ROTC program.

“We want to recognize them more and give them the recognition they’re due,” Nosek said. “The goal is to make this bigger and bigger every year.”

In his remarks, Plum High School Principal Patrick Baughman said they were not just commemorating a holiday.

“Veterans Day is a time to reflect on the sacrifices made by men and women in the armed forces, both past and present,” he said. “It’s a day to honor those who have served our country, whether in times of war or peace, who have stood strong in the face of adversity, and who have worked to preserve the freedoms we sometimes take for granted.”

The names of 30 district staff and family who are veterans were displayed on the auditorium screen. Three graduates who died in Vietnam — David G. Finnegan, May 19, 1969; Raymond P. Kurtik, July 7, 1969; and Daniel A. Miller, Oct. 6, 1968 — were remembered.

Remarks by President Ronald Reagan were featured in video clips.

Jennifer Killmeyer and the other veterans attending — Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel, Brian Boerner, Jim Flatley and Dave Marino — were recognized on the auditorium stage after walking through an archway of sabers.

Killmeyer, 49, was a medical lab technologist in the Army from 2000 to 2005 and now works for the Veterans Administration.

She said she wanted to serve and was looking for “a little bit of adventure.”

“I wanted to fly helicopters,” she said. “I was told I was too short.”

Marino, 78, of Plum attended the tribute for the first time last year. He served in the Army from 1965 to 1967 and was in ordnance in Vietnam.

“Finally, we’re getting a little recognition,” he said. “For years, you were almost embarrassed to say you were in the Army or any military.”

Flatley, 79, of Churchill is a member of the American Legion post in Plum with Marino. He also served in the Army, from 1966 to 1968, and in Vietnam, where he was an aircraft repair parts specialist.

While Flatley said he doesn’t attend many observances, he enjoyed the ceremony and said the cadet who played taps was really good.

“I think of the guys I knew who didn’t come back, the 20-year-olds who never had a chance,” he said.

Boerner, 47, of Plum served as a mechanic in the Army from 1997 to 2000. His son, Benjamin, 17, is a cadet in the Junior ROTC program. He attended the tribute for the first time after watching a livestream last year.

Boerner said he joined the Army because he was going nowhere and needed something to do.

“It’s a needful holiday,” he said. “A lot of people have given up a lot of things for their country. It’s good to have recognition from their country.”

Following ceremonies in the auditorium, all students took part in the respectful disposal of a worn-out flag, tossing squares of it into a fire outside.

With only 68 cadets, Nosek said, Plum’s Junior ROTC program is on probation for being too small. It should have at least 100 members. Such programs are recovering after the pandemic, which affected their ability to promote it to middle school students.

“It’s really hurt the program across the country,” he said.

Students enrolled in Junior ROTC learn leadership, citizenship and physical fitness, Nosek said. It does not obligate them to join the military — only one or two who graduate each year do, he said.

“It looks good on a resume, on a college application and to an employer,” he said.

Madison Killmeyer is among those who plan to serve. She plans to join the Air Force Reserve, specializing in psychology and, later, join the FBI.

Madison said the students wanted to thank veterans for their service.

“We understand, to a certain extent, what they went through and how their service bettered America,” she said.