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vice. Every veteran made a choice to serve – to put others before themselves. Some left their families, friends, and comforts behind to serve in a difficult and dangerous place.”

He emphasized the importance of this sacrifice, as he remarked, “Today, we are able to pursue our freedoms because of their selflessness. We should remember that service isn’t something that belongs to veterans. They teach us that to make a difference, you can always choose to live a life of service. So, what does that mean for you? Living a life of service doesn’t require wearing a uniform or being in a foreign land; rather, it is being someone of action, someone that cares about others, and someone who makes a positive impact. It means stepping up in your community, showing kindness to others, and standing up for what is right.”

The veteran challenged the students to use the day to reflect on the sacrifice of veterans, especially those whom each student knew; he told the youth to think of these individuals as “role models and people who have chosen to live for something bigger than themselves.”

“Let’s honor their words and actions with our own words and actions,” Meredith emphasized.

Fellow local veteran Doug Baird also spoke to the students, as he encouraged them to celebrate veterans in their lives and protect their freedoms.

Baird, a former 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, informed the audience that he joined the military after he and some of his football teammates formed a drama club in high school, through which they were required to memorize and perform a speech. For his speech, Baird memorized General Patton’s address to his troops before the famous D-Day invasion. “I was addicted to it,” he reflected. “I memorized it for months until I gave it. I owned that speech, and eventually, that speech owned me.”

Unfortunately, after serving some time in the Army, Baird was injured during a training exercise and discharged from service as a disabled veteran; yet, he continued to support others in the military and connect with veterans.

In 2017, Baird met a combat-wounded veteran – Mike Reynolds, who endured a traumatic brain injury as a result of an improvised explosive device in Iraq. “He wanted to stay – he fought [the government] to stay – but he couldn’t. He went home, he went through many medical treatments, and many people helped to save his life,” Baird explained.

Reynolds wanted to continue to be a medic for the military, but because of his injury, he could not return to combat. In an effort to find life outside of the military, Reynolds learned to raise cattle, which ultimately inspired him to help other veterans in the same situation. “He told me, ‘I want to take veterans in my same shoes and teach them how to farm,’” Baird shared. “I texted him last week and asked him how it was going – he told me that right now, he is seeing 5 to 9 veterans a day, 6 days a week. He is still serving.”

Baird emphasized how this desire to continue serving and attitude towards life even after combat.

Another instance that Baird reminisced on is when he and his fatherin- law James Thompson traveled to the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Hawaii. Thompson had served in the military during the Pearl Harbor bombing, and arrived at the site shortly after it had been attacked by the Japanese.

“He always wanted to go back,” Baird said. “My mission was to get him back there. We were able to do it, and we walked down to the memorial; he took his little finger, and he’d point and say, ‘See here!’ as he talked about his past experience. The smell…the fuel….the gurgling of the ship in its final resting place sent chills down my spine.”

Baird said it was in this moment that he realized how much being able to share about the experience meant to Thompson. “He had a smile on his face, It was a lesson to me that hearing stories and shaking [veterans’ hands] and saying, ‘Thank you for your service’ can make a big difference.”

After sharing those experiences, Baird explained the reason he was inspired to come speak to the students: to encourage them to recognize the importance of protecting their freedoms.

He told the story of Elon Musk’s conversation with a CNN reporter about censorship on the X social media site. “During the conversation, the reporter said, ‘I know the difference between right and wrong’ as if he were the determiner, and he began to press Elon on censoring certain accounts,” Baird recounted. “Elon Musk gave the perfect answer. He said, ‘I’m compelled to follow the law. If you want me to censor accounts, change the law.’ What he really was saying was that you’d have to change the Constitution.”

Baird added, “We are a constitutional republic. 13 colonies got together and led by Washington, we fought the British rule and tyranny. Thousands of men died so that we can have this Constituion, and our founding fathers – who were brilliant – did not want mob rule. They did not want a majority to take over. They gave us the Constitution and [James] Madison gave us the Bill of Rights – thank God for him.”

He encouraged the students to remember to stand up for their rights. “I don’t want to see you let those rights go,” he remarked. “I want to see you stand up for your right to free speech, your right to assemble and protest, your right to bear arms, your right to go fish, your right to start businesses and prosper. Can you do that in China? Can you do that in Russia? No, but you can do it here. But if we don’t stand up and we don’t say no – like Elon did – eventually, they will try to water down those rights and the Constitution. We fought for those rights.”

Baird ended, as he spoke of his admiration for the youth and hopes for their future. “You are the ones that are going to defend us,” he told the students. “You are our future leaders, and I have a lot of hope and confidence in you.”

Vidalia City Schools Superintendent Sandy Reid concluded the ceremony, sharing her admiration for those currently serving and those who have served in the military.