Enjoying Every Day Freedom -- Thank You Veterans

COURTESY PHOTO Sgt. Major Kevin Osnes with Arkansas Natural Guard speaks at Farmington’s Veterans Assembly.
COURTESY PHOTO Sgt. Major Kevin Osnes with Arkansas Natural Guard speaks at Farmington’s Veterans Assembly.

FARMINGTON -- High school students and staff were reminded the assembly they were attending at Cardinal Arena Friday morning is a privilege bought and paid for daily by veterans of the United States military.

Sgt. Major Kevin Osnes, Arkansas National Guard, 87th Troop Command, a 1985 graduate of Farmington High School, was the guest speaker, telling the crowd, "We owe our nation's veterans a debt we can never repay."

Then he asked a profound question, "So, how do Americans honor veterans today?" And offered a simple explanation showing how every citizen is capable of doing so. "Vote, volunteer your time, represent your city, represent your county, represent your state and your country."

Kevin Osnes' unit deployed to Iraq in 2007 and was given a mission of acquiring target coordinates. They came away having made a difference. They learned of a location being used as a torture house, but the structure was surrounded by strategically-placed I.E.D.s or improvised exploding devices making a direct assault extremely hazardous. Air support was busy, so the best option was to use a mobile launch system to direct a missile at the target. According to their manual, the target was out of range, but they found a way to work out the logistics.

"Needless to say, there was no more torture at that location," Kevin Osnes said.

The manual was revised to include enhanced capabilities for the mobile launch system.

"We have brilliant military minds in our community," Kevin Osnes said, describing a unit comprised of veterans from Farmington, Prairie Grove and Lincoln, who figured out how to make the strike.

After the ceremony, Farmington teacher Randy Osnes, Kevin's brother, talked about the sacrifices military families make when their loved ones enlist or deploy.

"I remember when Kevin took off to go to Fort Sill," Randy Osnes said. "I was standing in the apartment, mom and dad cried." Then, turning to his son, Austin Osnes, a 2008 Farmington graduate and Navy veteran, Randy Osnes said, "I remember when you took off, too."

Both Austin Osnes, who served as an aviation structural mechanic or jet mechanic, and classmate and fellow Navy veteran Brandon Grumieaux, a hospital corpsman, were moved by Kevin Osnes' speech.

"I thought it was really nice for younger kids and younger generations to honor veterans and to hear an active duty member speak," Austin Osnes said. "It was a very heart-warming speech. As soon as I heard him say 'exercising your freedoms, I teared up.'"

Grumieaux, who has treated more people since getting out of the Navy than he did while enlisted, agreed, saying, "A lot of places might recognize veterans, but they don't enforce it in the schools."

Randy Osnes applauded High School principal Jon Purifoy for instituting a Veteran's Day school assembly as an annual event.

"We never had this before," Randy Osnes said. "Jon's done this every year since he's been here, four years now."

Farmington superintendent of schools Bryan Law also nodded to Purifoy's role in making the event a priority, noting the school plays a major role in a community the size of Farmington, especially as the largest employer.

"I'm very proud of our staff and students. That's a moving experience. Mr. Purifoy has really taken this. It's a great way for us to tell those special people in our community how much we appreciate them. I hope we're able to convey to them how much they mean to us."

Farmington Mayor Ernie Penn called the assembly an "outstanding event for our veterans" with the community coming together to honor them.

"It's very important for our students to see them in person, to know the sacrifices that they make for them," Penn said. "Without them, we would not be free."

General News on 11/16/2016