Lake Highland has produced a Veterans Day Show every year for the school and the public for over 30 years. The program was originally started by Mrs. Cheryl Sims. The program is now directed by Mr. Chris Greening for the past several years. This program involves the Boy Scouts, the dance team and class, the chorus, and many other groups on campus. This show is greatly praised by veterans. Veterans have expressed their appreciation to LHPS for, “Never Forgetting.” Mr. Chris Greening stated how there are, “Typically around 1,400 reservations for over the course of two shows,” each year. This data does not include the online viewers who are watching the show live or LHPS student audiences. For the 2024 Veterans Day Show, the theme is “Land of the Free because of the Brave.” This is because, truly, according to Mr. Greening, “Our rights and freedoms rest on the shoulders of the brave veterans.”
The U.S. has been known to be the land of freedom and opportunities. However, that would not be possible if it were not for a certain group of people: the veterans. The six fundamental groups, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, all contributed to making America the best country in the world. It is easy to see how we need a military to protect our freedom. However, sending a soldier off to war is never easy. During the Vietnam War, there was a great population of Americans who got drafted. But there was also a significant amount of citizens who volunteered. According to the Atlanta History Center, “The vast majority of those who served in Vietnam volunteered.”
One of those volunteers was Mr. Kevin J. McManus. Mr. McManus was ranked as Lieutenant Colonel O-5, U.S. Air Force. Lt.Col. McManus was granted his pilot’s license at Vance AFB, Oklahoma, in September 1965, with additional pilot training. From there, McManus was sent off to fight in Vietnam. At home, he had his family and his girlfriend, Mary Jane McCahill. In 1966, while the soldiers got four days to return home, otherwise known as R&R, (Rest and Recreation), Kevin and Mary Jane married on his first day off in Hawaii.
While Lt.Col. McManus was at war, he and Mary Jane would continuously write letters to each other. From 1966-1968, two years had passed and all was going well until Mary Jane wasn’t receiving any more letters. At that moment, she knew something had gone wrong, as she had previously received a letter almost every day. After a couple of months, Mr. Kevin J. McManus was marked as a POW (Prisoner of War). This new information was tragic; yet it was also a sigh of relief for Mary Jane because she knew he was alive. Mary Jane was worried, but she had faith in Kevin. From 1968-1973, for five years, Kevin and roughly around 766 soldiers were held captive in Vietnam.
In April of 1972, Mary Jane received a letter. She described the letter as being in, “Code.” The letter was from Kevin. However, it did not seem as if it were for her. It stated something along the lines of, “Wouldn’t it be nice to walk down memory paths and see our ladies green?” Mary Jane turned the letter over to the Air Force, as she was required to do so with all the letters she received. This letter was later decoded to be a message for the Air Force meaning, “Mike Ling (another Air Force pilot) had also been imprisoned.” Shortly after that letter was received, Operation Homecoming took place. This was an operation that led to the retrieval of all Vietnam War prisoners. Greetings from everybody were given. A party was even held at The White House, and parades were held in the streets. The party held at the White House included all of the POWs and celebrities, such as John Wayne. Mary Jane described the greeting as even, “Overwhelming.”
The soldiers had no knowledge of any news that was occurring during those five years in captivity. They were told about the moon landing, and most soldiers thought everybody was joking. When Lt.Col McManus arrived home, he described his experience nationwide. He shared the harsh and brutal torture that he and other soldiers had to endure while being captured. Beating, dislocated bones, hunger, and isolation were all methods of torture used. However, Kevin was fortunate enough not to deal with the dislocated bones. Afterwards, Kevin and Mary Jane had seven wonderful children. Kevin lived gracefully until 2008 when he passed away. Lt.Col McManus is remembered with great honor as he was a fantastic soldier, husband, father, friend, and hero.
Lt.Col. McManus and many other soldiers sacrificed their lives to fight for our country. Even the ones who did survive lost the life they had before. From the Vietnam War alone, 10% of all soldiers dealt with PTSD, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. The scars from war will stay permanent on the outside but remain mostly on the inside. Most humans could not endure half of the situations the soldiers had to face while fighting, which is why honoring the veterans is crucial. At Lake Highland, they make sure that honor is gifted to all veterans.
America is known as the “Land of the Free.” Freedom did not come with the land. The veterans fought so that the land could obtain freedom. Veterans fought for freedom for all. Mr. Chris Greening wished to give a message to everyone about veterans. He stated, “One of my favorite moments every year is to be in the Canteen and hear the stories told by the veterans. Listening to their stories helps remind me that celebrating and remembering veterans is not just for Veterans Day and Memorial Day. We owe our freedom to the brave men and women who gave up their families, friends, and, in many cases, their lives to stand up for something greater than themselves. When you meet a member of the military or a veteran, show your gratitude and say, ‘Thank you.’ Not just on one or two days out of the year, but always.”
