Residents have the opportunity to join together with the future generation of Carter County and Elizabethton to pay homage to the men and women that sacrificed their time to keep the county safe, at home and abroad.

Carter County Veterans Service Officer David Batchelder recently announced the Elizabethton/Carter County United Veterans Council will hold their annual Veterans Day ceremony on Friday, Nov. 10, at 10 a.m. at Happy Valley High School.

Having the ceremony available to the teenage demographic is essential in preserving the history of sacrifices, according to Batchelder.

“This ceremony is done annually at a different high school in the county to recognize veterans and to remind our young people of the sacrifices that have been made to make this country what it is today,” he said.

HVHS students will lead the pledge to the flag and national anthem, as well as performing a playing of TAPS at the conclusion of the event.

Various activities will occur during the ceremony, including the POW/MIA Empty Chair ceremony and a reading of the poem “In Flanders Field.”

“Additionally, we have added the flag-folding ceremony, which explains the significance of the 13 folds of the flag,” Batchelder said.

Before the celebration at HVHS, Elizabethton City Schools will have a Veterans Day program at Elizabethton High School starting at 8:30 a.m. inside John Treadway Gymnasium.

ECS Public Relations Coordinator Bekah Price said the event will feature different veterans that will serve as guest speakers, including WWII veterans and ECS/EHS staff that have served in the military.

“Our goal is to cultivate a sense of pride, unity and patriotism among students by helping them see the unwavering commitment of local American service members,” Price said in a release issued to the Elizabethton Star.