SFHS Celebrates Veteran’s Day

For Spanish Fork High School’s Veteran’s Day, Iraqi veteran Scott Carson visited to talk about his experiences while serving in the War on Terrorism in 2003- 2004. Carson brought with him and honored three of SF’s local hero’s including, Richard Banks, Wallace Knutsen, and Spanish Fork’s last living Gold Star mother Fern Lindley. Carson then sang Hear it for the Woman of the Red White and Blue, a song he wrote and dedicated to Lindley, his wife and children, and all the other wives and mothers who stayed home while their sons or husbands were away fighting in the war. The audience was able to get a feel for what it would be like to serve in Iraq, from the hot dusty nights, to waiting an hour and a half at every meal to get your small amount of food. He also shared some of the letters he had received from the students at Santaquin Elementary school, where he had previously been working before he got his call to leave. Next, he told a story of a friendly soldier he had gotten to know, and how one night a bomb was thrown and had landed in his lap, taking the full bow of it. Carson then sang a song he had written for this soldier. The touching song brought tears to many of the attentive students. Almost the whole audience stood and clapped for Carson after he concluded with his memories of the much anticipated day of arrival back home. The assembly was “a good presentation. It was unique and helped us realize the importance of remembering our veterans on this important day,” said Emily McKinney, a student. Talking with Carson after he shared that he had been impressed with the respect and enthusiasm shown by the student body, and that his three guests he had brought with him were immensely honored by their warm reception.