Continuing their efforts to honor those serving the United States in the armed forces, Great Bend High School English students of Crystal Cross will hold a bicycle/walking rally Saturday at Veterans Memorial Park.
The rally will run from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The city will have the flags flying and the streets will be blocked from car traffic. People may either walk or ride their bicycles part of the time or all of the time, and there will be water stations along the route around the lake.
The students are asking for a $5 contribution that will get them a spirit bracelet that reads “Not Forgotten.” All the veteran groups and asked them to attend and organizers have arranged for a 21-gun salute at 10:30 a.m.
Cross said the students are also wanting to make contact and see if we can negotiate a fly-over, but this is uncertain.
“All of this is again in conjunction with the war books we studied in my senior classes,” Cross said. They all read “Ghosts of War” by Ryan Smithson and some of the classes also read “The Good Soldiers” by David Finkel.
Besides all the reading and viewing different documentaries, the students were assigned three projects. One was to honor the dead (which they did through the memorial wall that hangs in the high school), the second was to honor those currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the third was to honor those who return injured or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“The classes voted to combine the last two projects into one – our bicycle/walking rally,” the teacher said.
A number of businesses and individuals have already contributed money. All funds earned will be divided in half. Half will go to the local Military Moms who send packages to Afghanistan and Iraq five or six times during the year. The other half will go to Freedom Dogs. This is a non-profit group in San Diego, Calif., that trains dogs specifically for returning soldiers who have amputations or PTSD and could benefit from a companion dog.
The students also designed a T-shirt that can be worn for this event or on any Friday. Nationally, Friday has been designated as a day wear red to remember the soldiers.
The shirts are on sale for $10, with $5 of every purchase going to the students’ fund. Orders are being taken at Identifications, 1413 Main in Great Bend.
“The kids are really excited,” Cross said. “They have already seen by the reaction to our wall that showing you care does make a difference.”