Four eighth-grade students spent Veterans Day weekend participating in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. during an Oxford Middle School class trip.
More than 250 eighth-grade students and 22 chaperones recently took a three-day educational trip to Washington. D.C.
OMS eighth-graders Lauren Hudson, Ava Wiscombe, Griffin Hoard and Esme Roda honored fallen military personnel during a Nov. 10 ceremony by presenting a wreath in the school’s name to a guard at the foot of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The students were selected through an essay contest which required them to write about why they wanted to represent OMS during the ceremony.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (also known the Tomb of the Unknowns) is a monument dedicated to U.S. service members who died in World War I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War without having their remains identified. The tomb stands atop a hill that overlooks Washington, D.C.
It is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in any weather, by Tomb Guard sentinels.
“It was important to me to repay (them) for what they’ve done,” Roda said. “Nobody knows who they are  . . . Everybody who is in the military deserves to be recognized.”
The students were focused on remembering their loved ones who have served during the ceremony and on keeping the memory of veterans who have been lost alive.
For Wiscombe, the ceremony served as a way for her to honor several of her family members who have served in the military.
“I think the experience has made me appreciate my family who is in the military more because I don’t always get to see them,” Wiscombe said. “When they do come back to visit, it’s made me want to be there more because you never know what’s going to happen. It’s made me appreciate everybody who is serving our country more.”
A bugler played “Taps” as the witnesses stood with their hands over their hearts at the conclusion of the ceremony.
United States veterans from all branches of the Armed Forces also gathered to witness the event that day, allowing OMS students to personally thank them.
It was an emotional exchange for many.
“I felt really happy because after the ceremony, we got to shake their hands and say ‘Thank you for your service,’” Hudson said. “That was really, very touching. Some of them were even crying because we thanked them. I think it just touched . . . their hearts.”
“It was a little overwhelming at first . . . but we were there to honor (U.S. veterans),” Hoard said. “I learned that it’s not just Veterans Day that we should honor them. It’s every day, every time of year. We should always keep in mind what they’ve done and we should always honor . . . those who have fallen.”
In addition to the visit to Arlington National Cemetery, the students toured many other sites, including the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the U.S. Capitol Building, the National WWII Memorial, the Gettysburg National Military Park and the Lincoln Memorial.