She hears the ring of the announcement bell as students around her begin to stand for the pledge. For them, this seems like a superfluous waste of their time. To her, it is a reminder that means the world. Rather than saying the words on a sort of monotonous auto pilot, she takes each word to heart. As she stands with her right hand over her heart, she remembers her father and the sacrifices he has made for our country.
Many students and teachers at Lindale High School have been impacted by military service. Whether it’s their own service or the service of someone close to them, they are often extremely appreciative of veterans in our country.
“Days like Veteren’s Day mean a whole bunch to me because of my father,” sophomore Halle Lambert said. “My father is my rock, he has done so much for me and this day just helps me remember that he has done so much for our country.”
Lambert’s father, Frank Lambert, was a member of the United States Air Force for 21 years. Frank retired from the Air Force at the age of 40, about eight years ago.
“When I was younger he would be stationed places for long periods of time,” Halle Lambert said. “When I was younger I didn’t get to see him all the time, which really hurt because a little girl needs her dad when she’s growing up.”
Currently, Frank Lambert is a fifth grade social studies and science teacher at EJ Moss Intermediate School. Even though his life is very different now, he still deals with the lingering effects of his time in the Air Force.
“He mostly has good memories but he does tend to get a little antsy when certain things happen,” Lambert said. “He does have some PTSD from having to be around that environment. There would be days where all he would eat were MRIs. We opened one up a few months ago, and he couldn’t be out there with us while we were trying them.”
Although Halle Lambert does not wish to follow her father into the service, she has been inspired by him. After she graduates, Halle Lambert wishes to become a counselor in order to help men and women who suffer from PTSD.
“Ever since I experienced my dad getting really emotional over something as simple as an MRI, it made me realize that there are people who have it worse,” Halle Lambert said. “I just want to do my part like my dad did his part.”
Even though some do not have immediate family members in the service, it can still affect their lives and relationships. Due to being stationed in foreign places, many families have to accommodate their family plans around the service.
“My cousin has been in the service for eight years,” junior Bradley Tidwell said. “She’ll come early for Thanksgiving, and we’ll serve Thanksgiving for her [before she leaves again].”
