Local ceremonies celebrate veterans’ service, sacrifice

Holding back tears in front of a packed gymnasium at Hampton-Dumont High School, Marine veteran Tony Spradlin praised the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice during times of conflict and civil unrest.
     “They didn’t go to war because they loved fighting, they went because they wanted to be part of something bigger than themselves,” he said. “They rose to the call because they wanted to protect the nation which has given them, and us, so much.”
     The emotional statement was one of many offered by Spradlin during his Veterans Day address in Hampton last Wednesday. The combat veteran, Air National Guard member and current H-D Middle School principal acknowledged American soldiers who served in the line of duty by praising their courage and selflessness.
    Read the full article in the November 19 edition of the Hampton Chronicle.