Students fell silent as North’s Family Singers performed “America the Beautiful” at the annual Memorial Day assembly in Lasker Auditorium, Thursday, May 21.
The commemoration honored seniors who plan to join the US military, shared the history of Memorial Day, and featured Chief Master Sergeant Henry Hewitt, who discussed his experience on Air Force One and his perspective on Memorial Day.
“Today’s assembly is about the men and women of the U.S. military who gave their lives in the service of our country, not those currently serving. Today is about those who never got the chance to come home. It’s about sacrifice, courage, and the fact that freedom is never actually free,” Hewitt said.
Principal Henry Turner opened the assembly with a speech about the graduating seniors who will join the military. “This school has a long history of military service and honors,” he said.
The Color Guard then filed in front of the stage with American flags and performed a series of coordinated movements that ended with a final salute.
Following the procession, seniors Maialen Alawam, Jack Cohen, Bryan Pavao, and Dustin Proia, who plan to join military forces, were recognized.
According to history department chair Gregory Drake, Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and was established to honor those who fought in the Civil War. It later expanded to commemorate all fallen soldiers, becoming the Memorial Day that people know today.
“Amidst the prosperity and promise that fills our lives here and now, it could be easy to overlook the reality that many of the freedoms that we enjoy have been deeply contested in American history,” Drake said.
Hewitt discussed the positive and negative aspects of fighting for America, from connection and bravery to loss.
“We hear about wars in textbooks, documentaries, and movies. Sometimes the numbers become so large we forget what that truly represents. But every single name matters. Every life mattered. Every loss changed a family forever. And that is the true cost of war,” he said.
Freshman Ele Horion said, “Hewitt’s speech made me appreciate people who choose to go into the military, especially because I don’t have any ties to it.”
According to Hewitt, while the military draws people in from various religious, cultural, and political backgrounds, military training unifies everyone.
According to freshman Casey Costello, she found their unity in the military unexpected and inspiring. “It’s really remarkable how they can get so many people to be apolitical and become so close,” she said.
Hewitt added, “We live in a time where it’s easy to become divided. But when you serve in the military, you learn something important—Americans have far more in common than we sometimes think.”
To close his speech, Hewitt shared that one of the greatest ways we can honor those who served our country is by becoming worthy people of their sacrifice.
“You’ll face moments when it’s easier to stay silent rather than to stand up for someone else, when your integrity will cost you something,” he said. “You don’t have to wear the uniform to do that.”
