It’s been a busy holiday with many events honoring local veterans in Barrington this Veteran’s Day. After a packed schedule of school and community services, local Vietnam War veteran, Paul Corwin, is spending tonight reviewing essays submitted by Barrington 6th, 7th and 8th graders in this year’s VFW “Patriot’s Pen” youth essay contest. The theme for this year’s national contest is “Why I Appreciate America’s Veterans” and there’s a $5,000 prize on the line.
Since this is Veterans Day and our #365BThankful photo contest is underway this month, we thought we’d ask you the same question. Why do YOU appreciate America’s veterans?
We’re working on a post about that “Patriot’s Pen” essay contest and how we can honor our veterans beyond Veteran’s Day. We’d love to include your thoughts in our piece which we’ll publish before Thanksgiving here at 365Barrington.com.
Conducted nationwide, the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ “Patriot’s Pen” youth essay competition gives students an opportunity to write essays expressing their views on democracy. Over 100,000 6th, 7th and 8th grade students participated in last year’s contest and Paul Corwin says they’ve received 84 essays from students this year in Barrington. The top 46 national winners all receive at least $50 and the first-place national award is currently $5,000.
Paul Corwin and a team from Barrington’s VFW Post 7706 will select a local winner who will advance in the Patriot’s Pen competition. There are about 110 veterans in Post 7706 which was chartered in 1946. About fifteen of them spent Veterans Day visiting schools and services around town today, including Prairie middle school where this year’s “Patriot’s Pen” essayists were recognized during the school’s annual Veterans Day Assembly following a special Veterans Day Brunch.
Rose Elementary also hosted a school assembly today in honor of our veterans.
And veterans were honored during the Freedom Shrine Dedication today at Barrington High School. Created by the National Exchange Club to strengthen citizen appreciation for our American Heritage, the Freedom Shrine is a Collection of 32 historic United States documents from the 1600’s to the 1900’s. The documents have been reproduced and permanently laminated to individual plaques. They are used by teachers, students, and other groups to study American history.
Do you have specific words of appreciation you’d like our local veterans to hear? Share them in the form above and we’ll publish them here later this month along with a few words from local veterans and VFW Post 7706’s Paul Corwin.
And from our team at 365Barrington.com, we share a sincere note of thanks on this Veterans Day to the generations of men and women who have made such great sacrifice to protect our freedoms.
