What does living in America mean to you?

That’s the question Maci Miller and Felix Blackerby, fifth graders at McNeill Elementary, sought to answer in their winning Veterans Day Parade Essay Contest entries.

Students, teachers and family joined together at McNeill on Friday to celebrate the winners and the veterans closest to them.

Blackerby’s answer was simple: “It means fighting for freedom.”

“We are all here today united as one country we call the USA because of those who served, fought and died for the greater good of our country,” Blackerby said. “Everyone in this country would not be here if our veterans gave up. Every bullet fired, every victory, small or large, made an impact and helped form this country into the great nation it is today.”

For Miller, living in America meant “having freedoms that other children my age don’t have.”

“I have rights as a woman, and in other countries, women do not have the same rights as I do,” Miller said. “I’m able to play sports, go to school and grow up to be anything I want to be. I know I get to be me because of those who have fought for these rights and for your freedoms.”

Blackerby said he wanted to participate “just because I love this country.” Miller echoed that sentiment.

“(Veterans) are the best heroes,” Blackerby said. “They’re like superheroes.”

Tom Bridges, an army veteran of 8 years and Miller’s grandfather, took the stage afterward to thank students for their appreciation.

Bridges is president of the Kentucky Veterans Parade and helps run the Veterans Alliance Center, a local non-profit that assists veterans with affordable clothing, food and hygiene products.

Bridges said he’s proud of both his granddaughter and the community for their support.

For him, serving in the army was a chance to grow up and learn responsibility, even if it meant sacrificing time with his family for years.

“(I learned) how to work hard, how to be a good person and take care of whatever,” Bridges said. “It’s something I do not regret, joining the military, and I’ve still got friends from forty years ago — we talk and we get together a lot.”

He said many veterans, especially those who served in Vietnam, have come home to find less support than they need. While public support has grown since then, celebrations like Bowling Green’s parade help remind veterans of their worth.

Each essay winner rode in style through Saturday’s parade with local veterans. Miller road a 2007 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible with Fred Carter while Blackerby joined Bob Tyrie in a pink-and-white restored 1955 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.

In addition, each student received a $200 prize for their entries.

Miller said she plans to donate $25 of her reward to the VAC, where she often volunteers her time alongside her grandfather. Blackerby, smiling wide, said he plans to spend his reward on pet chickens and a coop to house them.

The Veterans Day celebration at McNeill stretches back over three decades and even continued digitally through COVID-19 restrictions.

The school’s “We the People” club, which focuses on civic engagement and volunteerism, brings together students each year to organize the event and create a slideshow honoring service members connected to the school.

Club members greeted attendees at the door and passed hand-made cards out to veterans in attendance.

Sarah Wilder, a history teacher and sponsor of the club, said it’s a “great honor” to help put the event together each year.

“It’s just one of those things that every year brings me such great joy,” Wilder said. “Many years I get teary-eyed because as you saw through the presentation, I have five different family members that have served.”

Wilder’s younger brother, Bradley Buckman, served three tours in the National Guard during the Iraq War. Buckman sustained lifelong injuries from a roadside bomb during his third tour.

Wilder said the club and the celebration are a chance for students to see firsthand the sacrifices made by veterans like her brother, Bridges and all those in attendance.

“It’s an honor for me to be able to continue to honor those brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country, and for the students to recognize the importance of that — to honor their family members and see some of their friends and family who have served in the military so they keep that passion, enthusiasm, love for our country and love for the veterans alive,” Wilder said.