Lisbon hosted a Veterans Day ceremony Monday, Nov. 11 at the Lions Den.

More than 20 veterans were in attendance for the ceremony.

Guest speaker this year was Aaron Helmrich.

Helmrich spoke about how he joined the military originally, as well as detailed what he could share of his service.

“I was 19 and in a college economics class when I watched the second plane flying into the World Trade Center,” Helmrich said. “At
that moment, I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself and do what I could to help.”

Helmrich enlisted in the military, doing his basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., in 2002.

“What helped me through my basic training was the strength I developed on sports teams,” Helmrich said.

He was trained as a calvary scout in the United States Army. He was then sent to work at Fort Hood, Texas. He resided in Fort Hood for five years, and completed two tours of duty to Iraq.

“In my first deployment to Iraq, I was part of the group that caught Saddam Hussein,” Helmrich said. “I never expected we’d have been able to do that.”

After returning to the states from his second tour, Helmrich was responsible for training soldiers how to shoot back at Fort Knox.

It’s also where he got involved in coaching wrestling at the local high school. Helmrich was then stationed to Fort Riley, Kansas, where he was part of the First Infantry Division.

He was then stationed overseas along the Syria/Iraq border for a deployment. He was wounded Nov. 15, 2012, and returned stateside.

After recovering from injuries, he was stationed in Sioux City, where he was in charge of recruiting for the military. He also coached
wrestling at Sgt. Bluff Luton at that time.

He next served at Fort Carson, Colo. He was sent overseas to Germany on his next deployment.

“Seeing some of the locations that were in World War I and World War II in Europe was a highlight of that tour,” Helmrich said.

He was promoted to first sergeant and deployed to serve in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where he was responsible for work on air
defense systems at those locations.

He ended his career in the military back where he started in Feb. 2022, eight years before his 39th birthday.

“Not everyone can live the military life, but it was something I recommend to those who can,” Helmrich said.

He thanked his family for their support, as well as his wife and their six children.

He encouraged all students to thank a veteran they might encounter for their service to the country.

“Veterans Day means more for me each year, and I hope that never changes,” Helmrich said.

The ceremony was started with the Lisbon sixth graders leading everyone in reciting the pledge of allegiance before the band performed the National Anthem.

The Lisbon choir performed the song “Words Like Freedom.”

Madison Flockhart and Kolsie Bixler presented the history of Veterans Day, and a video of veterans with connections to Lisbon students, teachers and staff was presented.