Versailles FFA Hosts Veterans Dinner
On Thursday, November 6, the Versailles FFA hosted a Veterans Dinner at the school for veterans from the surrounding area. More than 225 veterans and guests attended the event. The program honored active-duty military members, the veterans in attendance, and those who are deceased.
To begin the evening, guests enjoyed a meal featuring barbecued pork sandwiches, Amish noodle soup, chili, and a variety of desserts. During the meal, attendees had the opportunity to view a POW/MIA table, set for one, with symbolic objects representing the hardships and sacrifice of those lost at war.
After the meal, veterans listened to two poems recited by Eden Barga and Greta Broering. The program continued with performances of patriotic songs by Tiger Tunes, followed by additional musical selections from Amplified. Guests then heard remarks from U.S. Representative Warren Davidson, representing Ohio’s 8th Congressional District.
A slideshow honoring both active-duty military parents and veterans was then presented. Each veteran and active-duty parent received a wooden star flag crafted by the Versailles FFA Mechanical Principles class and a rose arrangement made by the Advanced Greenhouse class, along with coloring pages created by Versailles Elementary students and thank-you notes written by Versailles High School students. The Floral Design class created the table centerpieces for the event.
Active-duty parents in attendance included:
Navy: Emmit DeMange
Air Force: John Spitzer, Levi Barga
Space Force: Haddie Treon
Veterans recognized by branch included:
Air Force: David Dean, Fred Dean, George Stuck, Marck Echeman, Mike Brown, Tim Huber, Tom Hill, Tim Schultz, Ray Boas, David Bechtol, Marlin Falknor, Ernie Clayton, Ed DeMange, Dick Francis, Donna Grilliot, Ernie Bergman
Army: Tim Wagner, Marlene Bohman, Wilber Petitjean, Caroline Petitjean, Mike McClurg, Larry Roll, Ray Grisez, Lewis Kremer, Dick Didier, Brian Hemmelgarn, Mike Barga, Gary Davidson, Jim Nederman, Bob Grieshop, Dick Berger, John Berger, Paul Huber, Cheryl Magoto, Virg Heitkamp, Larry Pregener, Hattie Knapke
Marines: Carole Apple, Bryce Echeman, Damon Miller, Bernie Neikamp, Gary Kunk, Dean Winner
National Guard: Larry Pleiman, Bill Ahrens, Paul Meyer, George Hesson, Duane Ward, John Schmitmeyer, Ron Mescher, Lannie Brenner, Richard Kiser, Bob Dircksen, Earl Heitkamp, Larry Wuebker
Navy: Dave Holfigner, John Echeman, Bob Magoteaux, Angela Pittsenbarger, Larry Beck, Dave Stonebraker, Tom Parin, Larry Henderson, Scott Riffel, Karen Lawrence, Larry Laub, Nick Knapke, Jerry Bey, John Sue, Lester Kueterman, Dave Bey
FFA members who assisted with the event included:
Brooke Bergman, Rhylan Broerman, Alayna Dirksen, Simon Broering, Greta Broering, Margaret Schmitmeyer, Gracie Henry, Eden Barga, Jayna Luthman, Lucy Schmitmeyer, Aleta Longfellow, Vera Pearson, Cecilia Schmitmeyer, Monica Schmitmeyer, Liam Barga, Paige Gehret, Hank Smith, Monica Evers, Drew Geisendorff, Levi Dirksen, Patrick McGlinch, Colby Peters, Drew Fraver, Brooklyn Livingston, Madilyn Wagner, Jake Bergman, and Bennett Ruhenkamp.
A special thank-you goes out to all FFA members and parents who made desserts and donated supplies, and to Krista Harmen for preparing the barbecued pork for the event.
Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the evening meaningful and memorable!