ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The St. Clairsville-Richland City School District honored those who have served the country during its annual Veterans Day ceremony Tuesday morning.

St. Clairsville High School, Middle School, and Elementary students, veterans, and their families packed the school’s gymnasium as U.S. Air Force veteran Mike Slenski spoke to attendees about the importance of respecting the American flag.

Music was provided by the St. Clairsville High School band and choir as well as a performance by Eric Trio’s Elementary Music Team.

The ceremony started by the high school band playing the National Anthem as members of American Legion Post 159 presented the American flag.

“We are part of a fraternity of men and women who serve and it’s very difficult for people to understand if they haven’t had those shared experiences, but I’m always delighted to come here and speak every year,” Slenski said. “St. Clairsville does a magnificent job of bringing these young people together, so we get to share those thoughts and talk and have respect for the flag, I think that’s important.”

He added that he also is the emcee for the high school girls varsity volleyball team and is always impressed by the respect the team and its supporters show for the flag during every single home game.

“I’m always proud of our team because they are observing the right protocol and seeing the people in our stands doing that. I think that’s important, especially in a time when less than 1% of the country are veterans, which has changed from the time that we were there,” Slenski said.

Slenski is a Vietnam veteran who served as a security policeman and said that he believes the school does such a good job with the ceremony because several staff members within the school are veterans.

He then spoke to the attendees about the importance of veterans receiving the health care they need and deserve when returning home from serving.

“There are so many suffering from exposure to Agent Orange and then we deal with the toxic burn pits and all of those issues that are there,” he said.

Slenski added that many veterans suffer from mental health issues and wished the community would spend more time working on mental health issues for veterans as well as for the entire country.

United States Coast Guard Yeoman Second Class Petty Officer Meleah Tiber and retired Operation Specialist Second Class Kevin Herink also spoke to the crowd during the ceremony.

The two are husband and wife.

Tiber said that when entering the military, she wanted to escape the Ohio Valley but since being all across the globe, she realized that there’s no place like home. She added that the community’s support for the military is special and enjoys returning as much as possible.

“I think it’s wonderful to give back to our community and let the youth know that veterans are important and they need to be honored,” Tiber said. “And to let the youth know that our military members are out there every single day fighting for our country, and it’s great to have a day to understand that we need to honor them.”

Herink added that he believes it’s important for him to inform students of the resources available through the military such as the G.I. Bill. The G.I. Bill pays for school and covers expenses while service members train for their jobs. According to the Veterans Affairs website, since 1944, the G.I. Bill has helped qualifying veterans and their family members get money to cover all or some of the costs for school or training.

Herink said that he is currently going to nursing school and the G.I. Bill is covering his housing costs while studying.

While Herink ended his service this past July, Tiber is still active duty. She recently graduated from American Military University’s online college with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.