Students at Yamhill Carlton High School were joined last week by military veterans to help induct their first member of the YC Wall of Distinction.

On May 15th, students were brought in to the gym for the annual Celebrate YC assembly. While usually this is an opportunity for students to show off their talents, principal Gregory Neuman decided to use it as an opportunity to celebrate service done by members of the community.

“It really started with Mark Browning, the keynote speaker…Every year, I try to do something a little bit different, in regards to the Celebrate YC assembly, so I thought it would be something fun for the students and the community,” says Neuman.

After a story about the Buffalo Soldiers told by Sergeant Raymond, Neuman introduced the first inductee to the Wall of Distinction, General James Thayer, who was deployed to Austria during World War II. Thayer is best known for his help in freeing more than 15,000 Hungarian Jews from a concentration camp near Wels.

Neuman said, ¨I’ve tried to bring in stories about YC and all the great things YC graduates have done in their lives, so I think it’s high time we get something permanent, and General Thayer was a great person start with.”

The assembly was led in part by members of the Veteran’s Legacy class, taught by teacher Mark McKinney. One by one, they introduced each veteran along with where they served. The class is focused around interviewing veterans and sharing their stories.

While the assembly was focused around military service, Neuman says that the lesson students should be getting is much more broad.

“Some people aren’t fans of the military, and I understand that, but that’s the great thing about being an american… You can serve as being a police officer, being a firefighter, being a nurse, being a teacher, just volunteering at your kids school. There’s a million things you can do to serve others.”

Below is a list of the veterans who attended the celebrate YC assembly.

Jeremy Clements

Philip Passmore

Dennis McCord

Pete DeCrevel

Charan Cline

Thuy Wise

Brigadier General James Thayer

Kevin Scott

Sean Nonamaker

Sam Hill