Lisbon Schools hosted a veterans day ceremony Friday, Nov. 11, with Lisbon teacher and veteran James Campbell as guest speaker.
Campbell served for 21 years in the United States Navy, from 1982 to Sept. 2003.
He graduated from Mount Vernon and noted his service had fulfilled his wish to see more of the country, visiting numerous ports of call and almost every continent in his 20 years of service.
“I know that as much as many people might have disliked the United States when they encountered us, many of them wanted to come to the United States,” Campbell said.
He said one of his favorite things about the service was the routine and schedule he witnessed every day, including what he was to wear every day and what was expected to do each day.
Following his 21 year career in the Navy, Campbell attended Mount Mercy University to get his teaching degree and eventually came to the Lisbon school district.
“Even though I was born and raised in Mount Vernon, Lisbon is where my heart is,” Campbell said. “I adore the values we keep as a district, and the community this school has built. There is literally no place I’d rather be than right here.”
Campbell then recounted the numerous deaths in wars of American citizens who have died protecting our freedoms.
“The freedoms we all appreciate are not free,” Campbell said. “They were paid for by those more than 1.4 million who have given the ultimate sacrifice.”
Campbell also noted that the sacrifices of veterans wasn’t just by those who passed. Many veterans who served have had exposure to dangerous chemicals like Agent Orange or the contaminated waters at Camp LeJeune, different types of cancers from burn pits, or like his own father, have developed post-traumatic stress disorder that impacted their lives after the conclusion of their service.
“Those are all sacrifices veterans have made for our own freedoms,” Campbell said.
Campbell said one of his biggest pet peeves is adults who do not know the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. The Declaration was just that – the United States declaring they were no longer under the rule of Great Britain. The Constitution was the document the founding fathers worked towards to establish our early government as a democracy, a guiding principle we still rely on these days.
“The great thing about the Constitution of the united States is if we don’t like it, it can be amended,” Campbell said. “Our government is not a perfect system, but it is one of the longest surviving examples of democracy today.”
Campbell encouraged students and attendees to switch their thinking from a “me” thinking to a “we” thinking, noting the country of the United States is better when citizens focus on that first word – Unite.
He recounted the London Times asking back in 1910 what was wrong with the country and one letter 12 words long got the message loud and clear.
“I am. I am what’s wrong. Unity starts with me. Unity starts with you.”
“Be the right in the world,” Campbell said. “Let that change start with us, take time to listen to other people’s views first before spouting your own. Be the first to apologize when you’ve done wrong. Work to find ways you can unite us.”
The ceremony also featured music by the Lisbon Band and Lisbon choirs, and a video presentation of veterans with connections to the Lisbon Schools system designed by Cameron Eichhorn, Lisbon technology director. Lisbon American Legion 109 presented and retired the colors at the ceremony.
Members of the sixth grade class lead the pledge of Allegiance at the Veterans Day assembly.