Each year, Carson Middle School eighth-graders each interview a veteran. They record the stories they hear on placards that are then placed in the field in front of the school.
The celebration culminates, as it did this year, on the Friday before Veterans Day with a ceremony in the school's gymnasium to honor those who've served in the armed forces.
"They have stories that need to be told," CMS teacher Ananda Campbell told the Appeal several years ago.
It was true then, and maybe more true today.
As conditions surrounding the War on Terrorism become more confusing, at best, it can sometimes seem easier to not think about events transpiring in Iraq and Afghanistan and other parts of the world.
But we can't ignore the war. We can't ignore those who are still engaged in battle.
Many of them are our neighbors.
The Nevada National Guard currently has about 125 soldiers and airmen on worldwide deployments.
The Nevada Army Guard's 72nd Military Police Company began its third deployment since Sept. 11 when it departed Saturday for several weeks of training at Fort Dix, N.J., in preparation for its mission in Iraq.
The unit is headquartered in Henderson and includes about 100 soldiers who drill in Southern Nevada as well as a detachment of about 20 soldiers who drill in Ely.
These aren't nameless, faceless people. We have mourned the loss of Gardnerville servicemen Phillip Williams, Anthony Schober and Joshua Rodgers; and Raymond Jones Jr., who was born in Carson City.
We also mourn those who we never met, but who gave their lives as a measure of their devotion.
But Veterans Day is not one of mourning alone.
It is a time to show our gratitude and support for those who fight for freedom, and a time to celebrate that freedom.
And it is a time for hope. A time to pray for peace.