The students of I’m A Citizen Too hosted around 30 members of the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force at their annual Veterans Banquet this week — perhaps their largest crowd yet.
Former teacher Jan Desgranges, the founder of the IACT summer program, organized the June 28 luncheon at Poplar Bluff Junior High School alongside her daughter, former teacher Kathy Pattillo. IACT students, called Patriots, served lunch, sang and held a ceremonial flag folding. Each one also interviewed a veteran and buddied up with them for lunch.
Soon-to-be eighth grader Theresa Lewis and 1st Sgt. Wayne Wilkerson were one such pair. They were not family, as some duos were, but were matched up by Desgranges. Wilkerson served in Vietnam and remained in the military for 23 years, and he enjoyed the chance to interact with students and remember friends now gone.
“I consider it a great honor to come here and represent our departed comrades,” he said.
Lewis’ favorite aspect of the dinner was meeting veterans and showing them her classmates’ appreciation.
“I think it’s nice that they served and they had the opportunity to come and see all this,” she explained.
Capt. Joshua Woods, who is currently stationed in Trenton and Poplar Bluff, saw military personnel and students show their gratitude to one another.
“I thought this was really great…for us to have an opportunity to come and show our appreciation, and experience their appreciation for us,” he said. Woods went on to note he feels great responsibility when he realizes kids are looking up to him. “What we do is so much greater than what we think we’re doing.”
There were two moments of silence for former mayor Ed DeGaris, a major contributor to past Veteran’s Banquets, and E4 Spc. Alex Clinton, who perished last year saving family members from a house fire. One of Clinton’s granddaughters is now a member of IACT.
Pattillo called the event “heart-filling” for its significance to students and veterans. After it ended, two Vietnam veterans approached her and explained they had received no thanks after returning from war decades ago.
“To finally be thanked for their service just tugged at their hearts,” said Pattillo.
Teachers select students to join the IACT summer program, where they study government and participate in community projects. They focus on citizenship in four areas: self, family, community and country. This year’s theme is service.
Out of all their field trips and projects, Desgranges believes the Veterans Banquet is the most important.
“This is the best thing that we do, in my opinion,” she said.