EF students urged to learn from examples set by veterans

Lt. Comm. Rick Elster was the guest speaker at the Veterans Day event.

History is not just something in textbooks, but rather real people — neighbors who have protected our freedoms throughout the years.

To celebrate those real-life heroes, Elizabeth Forward Middle School held its 23rd annual Veterans Day assembly Tuesday afternoon.

Principal Dr. Trisha Martell stated that EF’s annual service represents courage, sacrifice, commitment and a belief in something greater than ourselves. Veterans have protected freedoms, upheld American values and stood strong when moments were most difficult.

“Today, our school community, students, staff, families and honored guests come together for a purpose that is both simple and deeply important: to recognize and thank the men and women that have served our country,” Martell said. “Our veterans are here with us today; we are truly honored by your presence.”

Martell told students the ceremony is an opportunity to pause and reflect, to learn from veterans’ examples and that each story matters. She added that veterans have provided an example for the middle school students to live with a little more courage and respect, along with a deeper appreciation for the freedoms that are too often taken for granted.

Ceremonies

The ceremony, led by VFW Post 7632 Commander Harold “Moe” Armstrong, conducted an entrance and final cadence for the American flag, posting of colors, the Pledge of Allegiance, the “Star Spangled Banner,” “Taps” and other patriotic music from students. Poems were read by students Blake Harper and Chloe Balogh.

Armstrong had tears in his eyes as he asked several veterans in the audience to stand to be recognized.

VFW Post 7632 and American Legion Post 553 presented the POW/MIA Ceremony and Table of Honor & Remembrance Ceremony. Many community veterans and their families attended.

POW/MIA stands for Prisoner of War/Missing in Action and refers to U.S. service members who were held captive or are missing from military conflict.

The POW/MIA flag is a symbol of the nation’s commitment to finding and bringing home all missing personnel.

“(We) are assembled here to remember comrades who are being held as prisoners of war or missing in action,” Officer of the Day Henry Mannella said. “We must not forget the sacrifices these comrades are still making and the sufferings they are still enduring.

“They must remain alive in our minds and hearts until we know they have been returned home to their loved ones or have been called to our Heavenly Father. We must continue to give support to their families who continue to suffer along with it.”

The Table of Honor, also known as the Missing Man or Fallen Comrade Table, is a ceremonial military tradition that symbolically honors fallen, missing or captured service members.

Members of both the VFW and the American Legion placed symbols onto the table to honor veterans and those missing in action.

Guest speaker and Past Lt. Comm. Rick Elster, LCDR, described the table to the audience. The tablecloth is white to symbolize the purity of the call of arms, the hat symbolizes brotherhood/ sisterhood, the slice of lemon for bitter fate, salt for the tears of families who are waiting for their loved one to return.

“We are able to gather here because so many of our comrades in arms, far from home and their family, gave their lives and their liberty to remain free,” Elster said. “The table is set for one. It’s small. It symbolizes the frailty of one prisoner alone against his or her oppressors.”

Guest speaker

Elster, born in Brooklyn, N.Y., went to the University of Pittsburgh and spent 27 years in active and reserve service. He now resides in Elizabeth Township with his wife of 61 years and has two daughters, four granddaughters and one great grandchild.

Elster served active duty and reserved command in Orange, Texas, Norfolk, Va., Groton, Conn., San Diego, Oakland and Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California; Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard, Guam, the Mariana Islands, Harrisburg and several cities in Georgia.

Graduating from the Great Lakes Recruit Command in 1959, Elster was assigned to The Mothball Fleet in Texas and transferred to the USS Waller as a storekeeper striker. That squadron was sent to Cuba to take part in the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961.

The lieutenant volunteered for submarine school and was assigned to the USS Redfish in San Diego after graduation — spending nine months in the western Pacific Ocean operating with other assets. He also went to Guam, and by 1984, he was in the Naval Reserves as a petty officer first class.

Elster has received several awards over the years, including three Navy and Marine Achievement medals, two Navy Good Conduct medals and a Vietnam Service Medal. He served on destroyers, submarines, line sweepers and at overseas bases, working with people from every state and various backgrounds.

Elster said he was about the middle schoolers’ age when he first thought about joining the Navy and that Veterans Day is a time to pause and recognize all the men and women who have served in the armed forces.

“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself,” he said. “It’s not about war, it’s not about politics, it’s about people — ordinary Americans that choose to do something extraordinary that was and is to serve their country.”

Elster added that although there were long periods overseas when he missed his family, he always took pride in wearing the red, white, and blue and representing the country. He also asked middle schoolers to thank a veteran for their service.

Saluting his fellow veterans, he told the students they don’t need a uniform to serve their country. They can also serve by helping classmates, respecting teachers, volunteering and standing up for what’s right.

“That same sense of duty, teamwork and respect that veterans live by you can live by right here at your school and in your community,” Elster said. “Veterans Day is not just about remembering the past. It’s about recognizing the value to keep our country strong. Service, sacrifice, courage and commitment.”

Armstrong introduced the school’s 2025-26 Patriot’s Pen Essay winners with the theme “How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support For Our Country?”

“We had essays that were sent into the district for the VFW, and if they win that, they go on to the state, and if they win that, they go on to nationally,” Armstrong said. “It’s a good way for the kids to make money for their education and for their trade school.”

The top three finishers are Christian Lingle, Joshua Garofolo and Jamal Pamplin. Lingle, 11, read his essay to the audience as he talked about spending national holidays with his father, who is a veteran.

“Patriotism is a deep loyalty and love for one’s country. It involves a sense of duty, sacrifice and pride in one’s homeland,” Lingle said. “My dad served in the U.S. Army from 2007 to 2010, and he was a combat engineer. I feel that I show patriotism and support for the U.S. by always honoring the service of my dad and all other veterans.”