The Veteran’s Day show must go on

Instilling an appreciation for the sacrifice veterans have made, even in the midst of a pandemic, was so important for Port Washington High School and local veterans groups that they didn’t let Covid-19 stop the annual Veterans Day ceremony.

The ceremony, including the induction of four Port High graduates and military veterans into the school’s Wall of Honor, was videotaped in segments last week and will be available for viewing on the Port Washington High School website Wednesday, Nov. 11 — Veterans Day.

The Van Ells-Schanen American Legion Post 82 in Port Washington, Landt-Thiel American Legion Post 470 in Saukville and Port Washington Veterans of Foreign Wars post gathered at the school last Wednesday, when students weren’t in class, to tape their portion of the ceremony.

Other portions of the ceremony, including addresses by Principal Thad Gabrielse and the Student Council president, the pledge of allegiance and musical performances, were taped at other times.

The high school then edited the pieces together to create a virtual ceremony that will be available online for the student body and the public to view.

“We’re pretty much replicating what we’ve done in the past,” Gerald Wiskow, youth and children’s coordinator for the Port Legion, said.

John Jacque, commander of the Van Ells-Schanen Legion Post, said the taping went well and, while he’s looking forward to a return to the traditional ceremony, “more people will probably end up seeing it (online).” 

The Legion Posts and VFW have been holding the Veterans Day commemoration at Port High for years, and Wiskow said it has been well received.

“The students seem to understand and appreciate it,” he said, noting last year the students presented the veterans with thank you notes. “I’m really impressed.”

Each year they nominate veterans who graduated from Port High for the school’s Wall of Honor, inducting them on Veterans Day.  

This year, they nominated four men — the late Richard Ryer, the late David Abramowski, the late Fred Wallner and Alfred Bartel.

The Port Legion nominated Ryer, a 1951 Port High grad who served in the Air Force from 1951 to 1955 during the Korean War. A buck sergeant, he was a cryptographer.

The VFW nominated Abramowski, a member of the Class of 1970 who served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. He was exposed to Agent Orange, which caused him a host of health problems during his life.

The Saukville Legion nominated Wallner and Bartel.

Wallner, Post Commander Denise Jamrosy said, started his freshman year at Port High in 1956 but didn’t graduate until 1963, after he completed his military service.

“As they (his classmates) were walking across the stage, he was on a crowded train on his way to basic training,” she said. He was a member of the Army who was a track and wheeled vehicle mechanic and track recovery specialist for three years, spending the last 1-1/2 years in Nuremberg, Germany.

Wallner was a 14-year member of the Legion, including stints as the post commander and 10 years as chaplain.

Bartel, a 1958 Port High graduate, specialized in cryptographic equipment repair while in the Army, serving at numerous places around the U.S. 

Wiskow said that he hopes the videotaped ceremony will not only help students understand what veterans have given this country, it will also provide a sense of “normalcy” in a year that’s been anything but normal.

“Hopefully next year we’ll be back in person,” he said.