How Milton Honors Veterans
By BRENDEN HEGARTY ‘20
On Sunday, people from all over the world celebrated a day that marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. November 11th is known as Veterans Day in the United States, and in spite of its different names, the eleventh day of the eleventh month stands as a day of reflection, gratefulness, and sacrifice worldwide. The armistice to end the war was signed at 11:00 am on November 11th, 1918, and some form of a holiday has been celebrated on that day ever since in several different countries. Milton students and faculty had their own moment of reflection during the flagpole ceremony on Monday.
Although the exact date is uncertain, Head of School Mr. Bland says Milton’s own ceremony “was started after the Apthorp Chapel was built.” The chapel, built in 1921, honors Milton students who served in the first World War. Bland went on, “it has been very consistent, the gathering of all faculty and staff, all students K-12 in complete silence to the flagpole” as “a student plays taps at the top of the Chapel, and the leaders of the Middle School and Upper School lower the flag to half mast and bring it back up.”
Bland says the gathering is “very elegant and simple,” and is “probably [his] favorite ceremony, and one of, if not [his] favorite tradition.” Bland shared that Brigadier General Richard Johnson, the Veterans Day speaker, has said “he always thinks of [Milton’s Veterans Day ceremony] as one of the most beautiful.”
General Johnson, along with the Paktia province’s governor Shamim Khan Katawazai, addressed the school from Afghanistan via video call on Monday. In his remarks, Johnson stressed the importance of all kinds of service and encouraged the whole audience to find ways to serve others. Katawazai spoke about Afghanistan’s history of conflict, his own efforts to improve his nation, and the importance of cooperation.
Bland says the call had been in the works for months, and he says the Johnson family as a whole has been a “gift” to the community, serving as “a way to better understand the sacrifice of military families, not just of soldiers and people who are serving our country in that way.”
Mr. Skinner, who spoke on Veterans Day in 2016 about his experience with his uncle’s legacy as a war hero, “thought it was really moving to have these two leaders from two very different cultures trying to figure out how to make something work.” On his experience as the speaker, Skinner explained that he felt forced to “dig in” on a topic that he has “always felt intuitively,” in “a way that gets people to think about sacrifice, connection, and service.”
Speaking about the flagpole ceremony itself, Skinner explained that the “ceremony has been a part of [his] life for over forty years.” He says he loves the “notion of silence, of letting the weight of what it all means sink in,” and he says the “forced silence ends up not being a forced silence because we all kind of want it.” Skinner thinks it is “one of the best recognitions of heroism and sacrifice out there,” and he says “whenever the time comes that [he leaves] Milton, that’s something [he] will miss.”
The ceremony has an impact on students as well. Ian Glick ‘21 reflected on his second Veterans Day at Milton, saying “seeing the whole student body being quiet for 10 minutes was really powerful.” He thinks Milton’s “ceremony is very influential and beautiful.”
Ultimately, Milton is not alone in its celebration of November 11th, or Veterans Day specifically, but the school does so in a unique way that moves member of the community. As the whole school comes together to silently observe, the lowering of the flag reflects our remembrance of sacrifice, and the raised flag that flies at the end projects a sense of hope and perseverance.
