As a tribute to all those who served in the military, Oxford Middle School students will sing their hearts out.

A total of 220 sixth-through-eighth-grade choir students will take the stage this week to perform a variety of patriotic songs as part of the 15th Annual Americana Concert.

“I think the kids bring the best of who they are to the program because they know the importance of honoring people who have gone before them and those who served them even before they were born,” said OMS Choir Director Jan Flynn.

Folks, particularly veterans, are invited to attend this moving and memorable tribute on Friday, Nov. 3 at the high school’s Performing Arts Center. Admission is free and the concert will begin at 7 p.m.

“It’s a beautiful venue,” Flynn said.

She originally started this concert because she wanted to do something “worthwhile” at this time of year and focus students’ talents and energies on a holiday with “more substance” than Halloween. She chose Veterans Day because she supports and respects all the men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.

“I believe they’re true heroes,” she said. “A hero, to me, is someone who puts himself in harm’s way knowing that there may be suffering on his part, but he does it anyway because he believes it’s the right thing to do. (This concert is a way to) thank them for doing that and honor them for their service.”

This year’s event will feature two speakers – Rick Zappella, a lifelong resident of Rochester, and Phil Weitlauf, of Milford, who is bringing Ziva, his German Shepherd.

Zappella is a former staff sergeant who spent nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a light armored vehicle crewman and infantry rifleman.

He received the Bronze Star with “V” (or valor) device, one of his many decorations, and was deployed four times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004-09.

“This will be the first time we’ve had (an Iraq war) veteran (speak),” Flynn said.

She discovered Zappella when he spoke at a Memorial Day event she attended in Rochester.

“I liked what he had to say. He was real positive,” Flynn said. “He was a very compelling speaker. It was short, to the point and beautifully crafted.”

Weitlauf, a Vietnam Era veteran of the U.S. Army, is the president and director of the Michigan War Dog Memorial (MWDM), a nonprofit organization that works to educate the general public about the “heroics and dedication” of the canines who serve and protect people.

Flynn is excited to have Weitlauf and one of his dogs as part of this year’s program.

“I thought it would be really fun, not only for the students, but also for the vets, to incorporate the war dogs at some point,” she said. “It took a year-and-a-half or two to get it all figured out, but this year, it’s working.”

The actual War Dog Memorial is located in South Lyon at the corner of Milford and 11 Mile roads.

In 2010, a large granite monument bearing the words “The War Dog” was discovered with several headstones marking the graves of canines near it, according to the group’s website www.mwdm.org. It was originally erected to honor the military dogs who served in World Wars I and II, but over the years, it had become abandoned and neglected.

“In WWI, they were called Ambulance Dogs. They were trained to find wounded soldiers in No-Man’s land after a frontal attack,” the MWDM website states. “In WWII, they were trained in many disciplines; scout, tracker, sentry and messenger. According to military records, War Dogs saved 15,000 lives during this conflict.”

Volunteers came together to begin restoring this forgotten memorial with the intent of returning it to its original grandeur. A dedication ceremony was held in November 2011.

Michigan War Dog Memorial’s mission is to continue transforming this site into a park setting and maintain it for the purpose of allowing the interment, with full honors, of retired military working dogs and retired service dogs, according to www.mwdm.org.

A black granite wall to honor the 4,234 military dogs who served in the Vietnam War was added to the memorial and dedicated in June of this year.

It’s estimated these dogs saved more than 10,000 lives in Vietnam. Unfortunately, none of those dogs returned home with the troops they served because they were classified as “equipment” and the military’s rule was to leave excess equipment behind when pulling out, the MWDM website states.

“They now realize how important these dogs are because the data shows there are significant reductions in casualties when dogs are involved (in military operations),” Flynn said.

To prepare for this year’s concert, a group of veterans recently visited Flynn’s choir students to share their military experiences.

“I want the kids to have a connection to the people for whom we’re doing this – hear their stories, hear their perspective and be able to ask them questions,” she said. “I think it’s important to tell the story – the story of the people who have come before us, so that when they pass the baton to the next generation, they can pick it up and run with it.”

“Some stories came up that I’d never heard before,” Flynn noted. “They were just really very heart-wrenching stories of true human suffering and how they’ve overcome that and the life lessons they’ve learned.”

Flynn was quite pleased with the interactions between her students and veterans.

“The kids were very attentive, very respectful and the veterans were very vulnerable and very open,” she said. “It was a really good day. I’m so thankful that they’re willing to do that.”’