Immaculata-La Salle students reach out to military veterans

By Jeff Kruse - Immaculata- La Salle HS

MIAMI | Students at Immaculata-La Salle High(ILS) have a deep appreciation for those who have served and continue to serve in the armed forces of the United States. The school’s Purple Heart Club supports active and former U.S. Military servicemen and women in any way they can. In December, the club organized a Christmas party for the disabled veterans at the Miami VA Hospital.

At the event, students raised a tent, put up Christmas decorations, served food and beverages, and tried to bring a little Christmas joy to the heroes who have sacrificed so much for this country.

More importantly, students received a different type of education: learning to appreciate the fact that freedom is not free. There is a lot that can be learned from a paralyzed U.S. veteran living the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

In observation of Veterans’ Day 2015, the Purple Heart Club welcomed some very special guest speakers to La Salle: Anibal Naranjo, a member of the Brigade 2506, famous for the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and John Mele, a 92 year-old retired Naval officer who served during World War II.  Students at ILS were treated to the first-hand accounts of marching in Cuba during the Bay of Pigs, and sinking German submarines during WWII.  To learn a history lesson from the people who were actually there is truly a gift of experience.

From fundraisers for the Wounded Warriors Project, to letter-writing campaigns, supply drives, trips to the VA Hospital in Miami, and first-hand accounts of being in the military, La Salle students take pride in their support for U.S. Military Veterans.