Surprise! Oak Creek students honor Vietnam veterans with parade before their Honor Flight

Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·3 min read
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Over 2,100 students dressed in red, white and blue honored 15 Vietnam veterans ― all Oak Creek High School alumni ― with a surprise parade on Friday.

The 10 Marine, three Army and two Navy veterans attended Oak Creek High School between 1967 and 1973. They all visited the school again Friday morning where they met with Principal Candis Mongan and a few students.

They thought that would be the extent of their visit.

But once invited inside, the veterans were greeted by hundreds of students in patriotic apparel. The high school’s drumline led the 15 alumni on a surprise parade through the building.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to host this special event for our 1967-73 alumni veterans,” Mongan said. “This surprise parade is a special way we can show our appreciation to these brave veterans and thank them for their service. We are excited to be part of this memorable, well-deserved celebration.”

Students line the hallways of Oak Creek High School to honor fifteen Vietnam veterans, all graduates of Oak Creek High School before their Stars and Stripes Honor Flight.
Students line the hallways of Oak Creek High School to honor fifteen Vietnam veterans, all graduates of Oak Creek High School before their Stars and Stripes Honor Flight.

Members of the Oak Creek High School class of 1972 were also in attendance, according to a news release from the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District. Medal of Honor recipient and fellow OCHS graduate Gary Wetzel also attended.

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The parade was a precursor to a Sept. 9 Stars and Stripes Honor Flight for the 15 veterans. This flight takes veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam to Washington, D.C. to visit various memorials, according to the official flight website. The organization also takes participation requests from terminally ill veterans of other wars.

Karyn Roelke, president of Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, reached out to the high school about the opportunity to hold a surprise parade for the alumni veterans prior to the flight, according to Lindsey Ziarnek, communications specialist for Oak Creek High School.

Fifteen Vietnam veterans, all graduates of Oak Creek High School between 1967-73, arrive at the school for a celebration and parade on the morning before their Stars and Stripes Honor Flight.
Fifteen Vietnam veterans, all graduates of Oak Creek High School between 1967-73, arrive at the school for a celebration and parade on the morning before their Stars and Stripes Honor Flight.

Ziarnek said the event, the first of its kind to her knowledge, has been in the works since August.

Roelke said many Vietnam veterans were treated poorly when they returned home from the war.

“We are so grateful to the wonderful faculty and students of Oak Creek High School, who will truly provide these veterans with the welcome home they never received,” Roelke said in a statement before the event. “It is sure to be an exceptionally emotional moment for them.”

The Stars and Stripes Honor Flight organization has taken over 8,000 veterans on over 65 flights since its inception in 2008, the website states. The organization is run solely by volunteers.

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Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on Twitter @Redheadliner.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Oak Creek students surprise Vietnam veterans before Honor Flight