VETERANS DAY TRADITION CONTINUES

by Krista Norton | November 14, 2024

Veterans Day, the day we honor all veterans who served in times of war and peace. Veterans day, originally Armistice Day, marking the end of WW l which ended on the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.
This tradition of honoring veterans during school at the McCoy Auditorium began in 2018. Students can not only meet but shake the hand of a veteran.
The celebration began Monday morning with veterans Rusty Wharton and Brian Barrett presenting the colors followed by the flag salute. 
The “National Anthem” was performed acappella by Crescendo, the fifth and sixth grade after school choir club, directed by elementary music teacher, Alyssa Banning, followed by the fifth and sixth grade choir performing “We Honor You.” 
High school principal, Josh Houston, read the names of former Bulldogs who are now serving in the military. 2019 graduates, Reese Hart and Jason Hart, Army; 2020, Aiden Rash Army; 2021 Uriel Diaz, Army, 2023; Charity Maune, Army Reserves; Karen Solano, Army; Emmitt Cooper, Marines; and 2024 Gilberto Duran, Army Reserves. 
Houston introduced guest speaker, retired U.S. Navy Captain Mark Grissom. “He has sat in the same seats you are sitting in; starting from the same place all of you are, and is a remarkable testament to what hard work, perseverance, and integrity can achieve.” 
Grissom was born in Syracuse November 14, 1948, to Grady and Naomi (Miller) Grissom, who both were born and raised in Syracuse. Grissom added, “My dad’s father farmed in Hamilton County from the early 1900s and my mother’s father was postmaster in Syracuse, so I have very deep roots here in Syracuse.” 
His summers during high school and college were spent helping his father on the family farm north of town. “I drove a tractor at fourteen years of age and continued until I went into the Navy,” said Grissom, “I learned a lot from my dad about working hard, being honest and doing a good job whether anybody was watching you or not and those lessons served me well.” 
Graduating from SHS in 1966, he had his sights set on becoming a dentist while attending Kansas University, pursuing a degree in microbiology. He recalls December 1969, when the United States implemented the draft. “Every college student was sitting in front of the television praying their birthday would not come up.”
“My number was 129 which meant I was going to the military, regardless of what I wanted to do. I did not mind going to serve, but I did not want to get pulled out before I had my degree,” said Grissom. “There was no way to escape it, unless you were physically unable to serve, or you left the country.”   
“As luck would have it, two Navy officers came to our fraternity house and showed a movie of aircraft carrier landings and takeoffs,” said Grissom, “I thought that looked better than getting drafted and going to Vietnam, so I went to sign up in the Navy!” 
He graduated with his degree in 1970 and entered Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida in October 1971. He was commissioned an Ensign in March 1972. “I was fortunate to transition to the F-14 Tomcat in 1975, which is the star of the movies Top Gun released in 1982 and 2022.” 
He made six deployments on aircraft carriers during his 26-year Navy career, flying in the F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat while amassing over 4,000 flight hours and 1,000 carrier landings.  He reached the rank of Captain and was privileged to command two F-14 Fighter Squadrons and was Commander of the Pacific Fleet Fighter Wing in San Diego, California.
He told two sea stories, the first was in 1983 while flying off the Dwight D. Eisenhower, in the Mediterranean Sea. “I came back to land, lowered the arresting hook (a.k.a. tailhook) and I thought I flew a pretty nice approach to the carrier.”  
When he touched down, he said everybody who had a radio was screaming at him to add power and go around. “I knew I had flown a good pass; I should be in the wire stopping, but the I learned the tailhook ripped out of the airplane, the cause was maintenance error.” 
The following year, his flight was a late afternoon launch, a night recovery and while climbing up in the clouds, his aircraft was hit by lightning, “That happens,” said Grissom, “The plane was flying ok, but did hear a thump!” 
He learned that one of the drop tanks which carries extra fuel was missing, “In holding, getting ready for the approach, it’s pitch-black dark by now, we were struck by lightning a second time, right in front of me, which blinded me, as one might imagine when you are struck eight feet in front of you!” explained Grissom.
“I’ll admit it scared me for a few seconds, all the warning lights were going off, the one that caught my eye told me the right engine had flamed out and was not running, but we were fortunate and got it running,” he said. 
Adding, “I believe that is the only instance of an F-14 being struck twice in the same flight, which may explain why my hair is not as dark as your principals!”  
Grissom explained that the average age of the 5,000 people on an aircraft carrier is around 19-20 years old. “And you have forty-year-old guys like me flying,” adding, “I say this with great respect, the young man or woman on that flight deck, directing me, tying down the airplane with chains, refueling, fixing what is broken, are highly trained by the navy and work their butts off.” 
Grissom met his wife Jeri while in port in Palma de Mallorca, Spain in 1976.  They were married in Detroit, Michigan in 1978 and have two children, Christy, an operating room nurse in Colorado Springs, and Mark Jr., a Commander in the Navy stationed in Norfolk, Virginia.
Grissom retired from the Navy in 1998 while stationed at United States Space Command in Colorado Springs. He then worked for a small defense company for four years, then joined The Boeing Company in 2003 and retired from Boeing in December 2013.
He stressed that the military will increase discipline, focus and instill a sense of responsibility toward your job, your fellow shipmates or soldiers and more importantly, maybe, instill a great sense of pride. 
“Regardless of which service you might join, you will be away from home, may very well likely go to foreign ports, but that will expand your horizon, and broaden your awareness of other cultures,” said Grissom, “It was a real awakening for me.” 
Each student, staff and guests had the opportunity to come to the front of the auditorium, shake the hand of the veterans and thank them for their service. The veterans then walked through the lower-level halls of the elementary school where the students were waving a small flag and giving them high fives. 
Honoring the veterans continued in the evening with the annual appreciation supper at the Veteran’s memorial building, with 16 veterans and family members in attendance.