Emily Martin/Dalton Public SchoolsBlue Ridge School students and staff lined the hallways to wave flags and thank veterans for their service Monday morning during the elementary school's Veterans Day celebration. 

DALTON, Ga. — Blue Ridge School once again celebrated Veterans Day with an annual “Parade of Heroes” Monday, but this year the elementary school added several elements to the day’s festivities, including having veterans address groups of students.

Blue Ridge’s pre-kindergarten students escorted veterans through the school’s hallways lined with teachers and additional students waving American flags — 600 flags were donated to the school for Monday’s festivities — and shouting thanks and encouragement before stopping in the media center to hear third-graders perform “America the Beautiful” and enjoy breakfast. Veterans then fanned out to classrooms to share perspectives with students and answer questions.

George Lo Greco, Sons of the American Legion Squadron 112 commander, challenged students to be inquisitive and utilize all the resources around them in schools, from books to teachers.

“The most powerful weapon on earth” is intelligence, so “sharpen that weapon,” he said as he pointed to his brain. “Like any other muscle, if you don’t use it, you lose it.”

“The number one desire” for teachers is that their students learn “to figure things out, to think, to come up with smarter solutions,” he said. Rather than name calling, which only escalates disputes, “use your intelligence,” he said.

“Knowledge is the greatest weapon we can possess,” said Christine Long, Blue Ridge’s principal. “That’s why school is so important.”

While serving in Vietnam, Lo Greco watched one of his best friends cut down right in front of him, so he feels he owes it not only to that Marine — but other fallen soldiers from all military branches — to share his knowledge with younger generations.

“We lived that history,” said Lo Greco, who, among his American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars duties, plays “Taps” hundreds of times each year at various ceremonies. “We have to learn from mistakes of the past, but not enough people are doing that.”

Only through knowledge can current wars be concluded and future conflicts prevented before they start, he said.

“Intelligent people can see through lies and propaganda,” he added.

Discussions with veterans like Lo Greco are an extension of classroom curriculum, Long said.

“Our kids have spent time (recently) learning about veterans and Veterans Day,” she said.

In fact, two Blue Ridge teachers, both of whom are veterans, were fêted by the school’s kindergarten students Friday, Long said.

“It was very sweet,” she said.

In the lobby, where Monday’s parade began, there were numerous Veterans Day poster projects produced by students, a “Thank You for Your Service” banner and a set white table. The white table is a symbol for — and in honor of — fallen, missing or imprisoned military service members, an notion detailed in “America’s White Table,” a book by Margot Theis Raven.

For Willis Massingale, who was in the United States Air Force from 1971-1975 and then the Air National Guard for several more years before retiring, “the honor was serving.” So on days like Veterans Day, “I always think about the guys who didn’t come back, or who are living with debilitating injuries,” he said. “My father, grandfather and great-grandfather each served in different branches, (so) it runs in the family.”

Bringing veterans into the building and celebrating this holiday makes it reality for students, said Jeannie Davis, who teaches Blue Ridge’s civics class. “You can tell them, but (it’s better) for them to really see and hear it.”

“These kids are so eager to learn about America,” Davis added. “They love it.”

Though Monday was the first time Massingale attended Blue Ridge’s Veterans Day ceremony, he’s a regular at the school, where his daughter, Rachel Gonzalez, teaches first grade.

Massingale visits Blue Ridge on Thursdays to read with her students, Gonzalez said.

“My father taught me how to read when I was little, and (now) he’s helping my (students),” she said.

Whether it be the veterans who visited Monday, or people who pitch in throughout the year, “we have a lot of great community members who play important roles in our school,” Long said. “It’s valuable whenever we can open our doors and get the community involved.”