This year, on November 11, Appleton North recognized the 70th anniversary of Veterans Day. An essential part of this national holiday is recognizing the people of our community who have served their country. North is lucky enough to have three staff members who have served in the Armed Forces, and the Noctiluca would like to recognize their dedication to our nation. When interviewed about their service, our Veterans shared fond memories and stories of bonds of friendship.
Appleton North’s school celebrity, Rodney Delfosse, served in the U.S. Marines for 24 years. On his first time on the drill field, Rodney met a fellow platoon mate, Donald “Gunny” Vanslyke. Rodney said that Gunny played an initiation trick on him. Gunny told Rodney that when you entered the field, you took your DI hat and twirled it on your finger as part of your drills routine. But when Rodney did what he was told, he realized it was a prank they pulled on the newbies. “Oh, they was laughing their a**es off,” Rodney remembered fondly in his interview, laughing over the fond memories of camaraderie. Thank you for your service, Rodney!
Freshman biology teacher Mr. Miller, served in the Army Reserves actively for 7 years and inactively for 1. During his eight total years of service, Mr. Miller says that it is impossible to name one single story of friendship because of how many wonderful memories he has made. Throughout his time in the military, he encountered “countless different walks of life,” and met many people he still holds in the highest regard. “Everybody was your friend, that was the greatest thing about it,” he stated. Thank you for your service, Mr. Miller!
Mr. Abshire, the special education teacher, served in the United States Navy for eight years, earning the rank of Master-at-Arms second class, primarily specializing in security and force protection. He said that to this day, the bonds and friendships he formed during his service have stayed with him. He expressed great gratitude towards the people who pushed him as well. Mr. Abshire said, “We were always there for one another no matter the circumstances, and even when things got tough it would be impossible to not give your best effort because you wouldn’t want to disappoint your friend next to you.” Thank you for your service, Mr. Abshire!
To learn more about our staff members’ service, visit the Veterans display case in front of the main office or ask them! Honoring the time these heroic people dedicated to their country is important.
