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A Time of Remembrance

By Anonymous
Thizbe Balzer
On November 11, 2015, the Remembrance Day assembly allowed all members of the Dalat community to take a few steps back from their busy schedules, gain perspective, and stand together with hearts of gratitude.
Dalat goers fled into the gymnasium on that sunny Wednesday afternoon. Queued by the audible but barely noticeable tardy bell, the uproar of eager chatter and subsequent echoes, which saturated the hall with excitement, came to a slow yet serious halt as Mr. Hoffmeyer began to speak.  A badged vest clung to his shoulder, and his uniform mimicked the others on the elevated platform to which everyone’s attention had turned.  Those of importance sat tall, reveling in thoughtful and reflective expression; those who stood spoke with a certain kind of dignified vulnerability.  This was serious.  This was real.  People were out there fighting a war for us.  Their faces told the story.
While the “old folk” told the story, individuals of the younger generation, namely the boy and girl scouts groups, were the ones who made the formal event a success.  At the opening of the ceremony, four young men, among them 12th grader Joel Halbedl and 11th grader Noah Graves, made their way over to the flower-encased centerpiece with unparalled formality.  The beat of a snare drum, sounded by one of the Chinn twins, guided their footsteps.  Each young man took one corner of the decorated coffin and stood for the remainder of the ceremony looking outward with a dispassionate stare.  Meaningful poems, one being “In Flanders Fields,” were read aloud; and Mr. Roylance shared his back-story as an officer with inspiring and heart-wrenching emotion.  Flags from various countries were held up in recognition of all the soldiers who fought in WW1 and those who stand on the frontlines today. 
However, among the rituals and ceremony of the event were moments for everyone to personally reflect, times surrounded with musical voice, and times drowning in silence.  Christina Kim (12) sounded the trumpet beautifully to the traditional Remembrance Day call.  After that was a minute of silence. Lee (grade 12) remarked about the X-block event later that week, “It really made me thankful for the freedom I have today.” 

It’s true.  We are where we are today because of the sacrifices others are making to establish daily freedom.  Dalat School has these freedoms, and the Remembrance Day assembly is a necessary reminder to gratefully accept that someone out there is paying for it.

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