Cornwall salutes local veterans

CORNWALL — The students of Cornwall Consolidated School held a ceremony for local veterans Friday, Nov. 8.

In total, 10 veterans with ties to Cornwall attended the morning assembly. Some live in Cornwall, some attended CCS themselves, some have relatives who work in the school and some are proud parents or grandparents of current CCS students.

The veterans were Army Corporal Huntington Williams (served from 1953-55), Navy Lieutenant Guy “Max” Ule Jr. (1962-65), Army Specialist David Cadwell (1970-72), Army Specialist Joseph Gwazdauskas (1971-74), Army Specialist John Fox (1977-80), Navy Petty Officer Second Class Tim Naylor (1978-84), Army Colonel Kirk Harrington (1990-2014), Air Force Senior Airman Daniel Rashkoff (2012-17), Army Specialist Jake Thulin (2015-20), and Army Specialist Caleb Boucher (2018-22).

The servicemen enjoyed breakfast with the CCS eighth graders before meeting the full student body in the gymnasium.

The seventh-grade class led a touching ceremony for the veterans and thanked them for their service to the nation.

When asked what inspired the vets to join the armed forces, a variety of answers were offered.

“I was inspired by the draft board,” said Huntington Williams, Cornwall resident and veteran of the Korean War.

Jake Thulin, CCS night custodian, said he joined to continue a family legacy: “I’m a third-generation service member. My grandfather served in World War II. My father served in the Air Force for about 10 years. So, I just kind of wanted to maintain that tradition.”

“I knew I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself,” said Daniel Rashkoff, whose mother is the nurse at CCS. “It’s one of the best things I ever did in my life. I’m really grateful for the experience and I’m grateful to all of you for putting this on and honoring us.”