Sleepy Hollow Middle School students showed their support for the men and women who have served our nation by installing 400 American flags on the middle/high school lawn.
Students gathered on November 2nd, shortly before for Veterans Day. Each flag was placed one-by-one into the ground to create a formation similar to Arlington Cemetery in Virginia.
“It gives me a sense of pride that the students would give up their time to put the flags here,” said 97-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor Armando “Chick” Galella. “It is important to show the young students that they should be proud of our flag and the millions of Americans who have lost their lives.” Galella earned the highest rank an enlisted man can attain, Battalion Sergeant Major, and received the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service and bravery in the Battle of Okinawa.
The flags, purchased by The Rotary Club of the Tarrytowns, were first installed for Veterans Day 2017, then in May for Memorial Day. “We want the public to remember what our troops have done over the years,” commented Rotary member JoAnne Murray.
Students from Andrea Harrison’s Art Club were joined this year by even more students. “…We should really honor the people who served our country so proudly,” said seventh-grader Anais Gomez.
Galella said humbly, “The real heroes have white crosses.”
