Students Plan and Host Veterans Day Event

On Wednesday, November 11th, retired Lt. Col. Henry Ratenski will be speaking about his experiences in World War II as part of the 315^th Bomb Wing, the squadron that conducted the final bombings over Japan before they surrendered in 1945. He is scheduled to appear as the guest of honor and will speak at Wisconsin Lutheran High School’s annual Veterans Day event.

For the last 20 years, the Wisconsin Lutheran High School has held an annual Veterans Day event honoring local veterans that is planned and hosted entirely by the students. The student council, with the assistance of faculty member Roger Festerling, plans the event. The event consists of a breakfast, a special service, and a guest speaker. WLHS invites over 500 Milwaukee area veterans, community leaders, and friends of the school to attend. Students are encouraged to volunteer at the event and help with setting up and serving breakfast.

The event is made possible by fundraisers run by the students and sponsored by the student council. This year, the fundraiser is called “Salute with Fruit” and encourages students to raise money by selling citrus fruits from Florida. Order forms for buying fruit can be filled out online or printed off of the WHLS website and mailed in. The order deadline is November 9th.

The event will kick off at 7 a.m. with a breakfast buffet in the school cafeteria. Anyone planning on attending the breakfast is asked to RSVP on the WHLS website or by printing off a form and mailing it in by November 2^nd. Breakfast will be followed by a service at 8:30 a.m. in the gymnasium. The service will include a procession of military guests and music from the high school band. Afterwards, Lt. Col. Ratenski will give his presentation. He will then be available for questions.

The Wisconsin Lutheran High School is located at 330 N. Glenview Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53213. Visit their website at www.wlhs.org to contribute to the fundraiser or to RSVP for the breakfast.