Service in the Vietnam War was the focus this year in the annual Veterans Day assembly among the Huntington Hills on November 7th, 2024.

The production included a parade of flags to honor attending members of each of the armed forces, with their anthem performed by the school band and third grade chorus – as well as the annual focus on a different American war with re-enactments, videos, and slides.

Two students of Huntington High School who joined the war and died in combat were honored (George W. Cottrill Jr. and Howard William Jones), and an honorary diploma was given to the family of Jones, who dropped out to enlist.

Jeff Magill, the 8th grade history teacher, explained that he scripted the historical presentation using online resources and video clips to highlight major events of the war.

Jackson Kohls, a senior, reenacted a soldier writing a letter home in the Vietnam War production. He said Magill drafted the script, then Kohls revised it and recorded it so it could be played back as he sat on sandbags in costume under a spotlight. He said it was “really special, really moving.”

Kohls said he is interested in performance, is in the school drama club, and has acted each year in the Veterans Day assembly. He says he is going into college for aerospace engineering.

Chief Warrant Officer Glenn Easterday from Circleville said his private military collection helped in the production. They went through it to find props for the Vietnam War depiction.

He said he collects from all eras, and wishes he had a Sherman tank. Easterday said he was a helicopter pilot with the 158th assault helicopter company in Vietnam in 1970-1971.

He said it was a good presentation, it covered the war well, and he enjoyed the assembly.

Hear all three in their own words in interview videos, as well as my 12-minute compilation of my video and photo samples of the event, in the article on the Scioto Post.

Other county schools also had assemblies before releasing for the holiday weekend. Since I got an invitation to cover the Huntington Schools Veterans Day assembly (from veterans leader and former Huntington teacher Bob Leach) I focused my attention there.

I hope I did justice with this sampling of the event; please share if you agree. I’m happy to share my videos and many more photos by request.

Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for the Scioto Post and iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact Kevin Coleman or the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom.