Things that cannot be taught

The middle school kids at the Boys & Girls Club were supposed to go on a field trip today to WIVK studios for a studio tour. Pretty cool trip, especially since almost everyone in this area listens to WIVK.

Sgt. Jason Hovater, a Lake City native, was killed in Afghanistan last week. His funeral procession went through the streets of Lake City today to the veterans cemetary in Knoxville. Today the members of the Club were given the option to pay their respects to Sgt. Hovater or attend their scheduled field trip. Today they made the decision they didn't want to go to WIVK.

The scene was this: the streets of Lake City filled with people on the sidewalks with flags in their hands standing silently as the procession drove by. Our Club Members stood in a single file line down the sidewalk, 50 kids or so, with their hands behind their backs staring at the procession in silence. Paying their respects to a man they didn't even know for serving and honoring their country. This is the kind of thing that you cannot teach. Patriotism. I am so sad for the family, but I am so proud of our kids for making the decision to honor him. Everyone has their own opinion about the war, whatever that might be. I hope that the pride that comes from living in this nation does not become diminished because of those opinions, but that younger generations continue to believe in our country and what it stands for.