Westport Middle School’s patriotic nature was on full display Monday morning as students and faculty welcomed military veterans in for a special ceremony to celebrate their service prior to Veterans Day.

Veterans, most of whom were accompanied by family members who attend the school, were seated at the front of the school's auditorium as students cheered and thanked them for their service.

The middle school band played the national anthem, after which the chorus sang the song “You Pull Me Through.”

Student Hank Viera served as master of ceremonies and introduced Vice Principal Sean Persico, who talked about how the country’s veterans continue to serve their community in civilian life.

“Veterans are as different as the people in this room. They are mechanics, nurses, pilots, cooks, engineers and musicians,” he said. “Every single one of them raised their right hand and made a promise — a promise to put something bigger than themselves first.”

Westport Middle School teacher Jon Bernier leads the “While there's still time” student project, which chronicles the lives of local veterans and so far has led to the publication of two books containing local vets’ stories. He reflected on that project and thought about how some of the people who have been celebrated in it are no longer with us but live on in the printed word, and in memory.

“While those veterans may no longer be with us, the stories are. Their voices can still be heard, their experiences can still be shared and generations of students who never had the opportunity to meet them can still learn about their lives.

Westport Veterans Service officer Carole Freitas introduced all 32 veterans who attended and pointed out that during the 250th anniversary of America, this Veterans’ Day feels especially important.

“The freedoms we enjoy today have been protected by generations of Americans willing to step forward and serve,” she said. “That is what Veterans Day is about. Not just remembering history, but honoring the people who helped shape it.

After that, numerous students came up and read letters written to the veterans thanking them for their service.

“Without people like you who work so hard to serve our country, I can’t imagine the situation we would be in,” one of the students read.

After the event, multiple veterans expressed their joy about being honored by the community.

“This was my first year doing this,” Army veteran Darryl Fournier said. “I’ve got a nephew and a niece who are both at this school and my daughters over at the elementary school. I think they did a really good job; the kids did a really good job.”

Meanwhile, former state representative Paul Schmid, a former Marine Corps officer himself, also praised the event.

“This has become such an important part of our community and we really appreciate everybody who is there,” he said.

After the celebration, numerous veterans stayed to have lunch with the middle schoolers.