Veteran’s Day Speaker

Dana+Dennis+alongside+his+nephew+Jac+after+his+All-State+wrestling+tournament.

Dana Dennis alongside his nephew Jac after his All-State wrestling tournament.

Jac St. Jean, Staff Writer

Imagine sitting in your house waiting for your family to get home. The TV running in the background as you wait there staring at the floor for the door behind you to open and hear the all too familiar voices echo through your house. You give each of your family members a hug and a warm and involuntary smile. This does not happen. The door never opens. The fridge stays closed. The lights in the rest of the house stay turned off. You do not smile. You keep waiting. Only to find out hours later they will never return home. This was one of the many experiences that Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dana Dennis, who waited for hours in a base in Iraq for the rest of his squad mates to return from a mission, only to find out that they had died in combat, and he was the only remaining member of his squad.

Dana Dennis was honored as the guest speaker at this years Veteran’s Day Assembly. “I was very fortunate to have been invited as the guest speaker and impressed…” speaks Dennis. Dana was able to also witness the 2017 Winter Carnival Assembly at GHS prior to the assembly, as he was visiting his family in Goffstown at the time. It was later that year that he also retired from the Army after serving 28 years, going on 4 tours to Iraq, and 1 to Afghanistan. Dennis also earned 4 Bronze stars during his time serving, one of which being for his involvement in Operation Desert Storm, which was a massive U.S.-led air offense. He spent most of his time in the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Dennis was amazed by the assembly and how it went. “Goffstown High… [used] this day to educate students on military experiences and service beyond individual motives” spoke Dennis. “The current civilian/military gap is arguably the largest it has ever been in our country. Educating the public on individual sacrifices of our very own citizens/service members is critical when mitigating this gap.” Dennis thinks that “Goffstown students not only honored our veterans, they educated themselves.” Dana Dennis would like to thank the Student Council as well as the student body, and the school for its amazing efforts to honor those who served and protected our country.