By Petra Chesner Schlatter; BucksLocalNews.com

The lessons of war and what being a veteran means were two of the subjects discussed Nov. 6 at the Fifth Annual Veterans Day Luncheon at Charles Boehm Middle School.

Members of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) exchanged stories and shared their interests with members of VFW 6393 (Veterans of Foreign Wars) over sandwiches and dessert in the school library.

Carter Glace asked John and Drew Swider, who are brothers, whether they believe the Vietnam War was justifiable from a soldier’s point of view.

“They said it was justifiable, but the way they handled it could have been better,” said Glace, 14, an eighth-grade student and a member of the NJHS.

Glace learned about how many of the Swiders’ friends were killed in Vietnam. They attended Thomas Edison High School in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. The casualty rate among the youths in the small neighborhood was high, Drew Swider emphasized.

John Swider said then-Secretary of State Robert McNamara “knew in 1965 that we couldn’t win the war. Did he mean militarily or politically…We had to leave, but why were we there in the first place?”

The honors students researched World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the situation in Iraq/Afghanistan. Michelle Cote-Asta, PTO co-president, said those wars were chosen “because they are the conflicts these gentlemen served in.”

Eighth-grader Alisan Barahona said, “We had to know when [the wars] started and if they ended. We had to know who was president at the time of the war, why the war started and what countries were involved.”

Barahona said she was honored “to talk to people who were actually part of the war.”

Lauren Weinstock, 13, said she has “a lot of relatives who were in the Army. They never really talked about their experience, so it’s nice to learn what it was like.”

Thirteen-year-old Amanda Yarson, president of the National Junior Honor Society at Boehm said, “I think it’s really cool that I get to meet all the people. It’s an honor.”

Terri Ricci, principal, told the veterans that their visit is “important to our school. It is important you come to make these connections with these kids. It’s an outstanding effort on your part.”

Christopher Desmond, commander of VFW 6393, said Charles Boehm Middle School is “one of the most enthusiastic area schools participating in the VFW’s essay contests for middle and senior high schools.

“Three years ago, VFW6393 had an essay contest winner that competed at the state level,” he said. “I think it’s significant there’s a potential for any student who participates to compete at the stand and national level.

“There’s tens of thousands of dollars available,” he said about state and nationals. “Locally we give a savings bond.” At the high school level, the winner receives a $500 savings bond while a middle school student receives a $200 savings bond.

Desmond is encouraging his fellow comrades with VFW 6393 and other veterans in the area to consider joining the Honor Guard of the Guardians of the Washington Crossing National Cemetery.

For more information, please contact Ray Rauanheimo, Honor Guard Committee chair, at 215-816-8643 or Rauanheimo@ usa.net, for more details and a schedule of meetings and training. Or write to: Guardians of the National Veterans Cemetery, Bucks County, 744 Newtown-Richboro Road, Richboro, PA 18954.