Fourth- and fifth-grade students at Commack Road were treated to a special patriotic assembly on Oct. 11. Lt. Col. Charles Valdes and American Legion Rusy Bohm Post 411 Commander Dominick DeCrescenzo presented the school with an American flag that had been flown over Union III, Baghdad, amid the battlefields of Iraq during Operation Inherent Resolve.

The flag ceremony was preceded by a rendition of the National Anthem led by several students and directed by Commack Road’s choral director, Michael Bauer, followed by a student reading of Wilbur D. Nesbit’s heartwarming poem “Your Flag and My Flag.”
Lt. Col. Valdes, a U.S. military veteran, also fielded a variety of questions about his personal and professional experiences while serving numerous tours in the Middle East.

“This session was an incredible learning experience for the students,” said Lynn Burke, Commack Road’s acting principal. “Our students and staff will display the flag with great pride. They are grateful to have been inspired by these honored guests for showing their love of country and for putting their lives at risk to protect the freedoms we hold so dearly.”