Century High School students had a chance last week to interact one-on-one with veterans through the school's annual Living History Museum.

Students such as Cadet Lauren Nielsen of the school's Junior ROTC listened to veterans including Bruce Hutchins, 84, about their experiences ... good and bad.

"Lauren, if you'll notice one thing though. We remember the good times, but we don't remember the bad times," said the World War II veteran from Ellicott City. "You remember the fun times, but you don't remember the other times. You block them out."

Century history teacher Ryan Melhorn organized the school's Nov. 12 Veterans Day program, which also included a breakfast with the veterans.

He started the program three years ago as a way to show thanks for their service and give students a first-hand account of veterans' experiences.

"I've always been interested in veterans and military and as a social studies teacher, I wanted to do something to pay tribute to them," he said.

About 40 to 50 veterans attended this year's program. They spanned the ages from World War II veterans like Hutchins to Chad Stachowiak, 21 of Lynchburg, Va., who recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.

Hutchins, who served in the Navy, sailed on the USS Saratoga in the Pacific Theater where he helped to log in which planes took off and whether they made it or not.

"I had one almost in my lap one time," he said. "When they came into land, you got a flight deck and they hit that thing and bounce 150-200 feet. Hopefully they catch the training wire before they hit the other planes."

Ed Kuespert, 75, of Ellicott City, who performed the same job as Hutchins, said he enjoys going to schools and sharing his story with students about his time in the Navy from 1953-1957, which was at the end of the Korea War.

Many ways to serve

Meanwhile, at Linton Springs Elementary School's Nov. 13 assembly, students sang patriotic songs and heard first-hand accounts by veterans who were related to students and staff at the school.

Mark Lanni, father of student Adam Lanni, served in the Navy from 1987-1991. He showed the audience images of his tour and gave a bit of a civics lesson on war memorials.

He help broaden the students' definition of what they might think a veteran is.

"There's more to being a veteran than cool pictures and fighting a war, because not all veterans have fought in a war," he said.

Lanni also stressed the importance of thanking veterans for their service.

"If you have someone in your family ..." he said, becoming emotional, and drawing tears from audience members. "Like I said, it means a lot to me. Be sure that you thank them and give them a hug."

Korea War veteran A. Wesley Carr lightened the mood and told students about how he wound up fighting in the war.

He explained he graduated from a Kentucky high school in 1950 and the war just broke out and didn't know much about it. Then in 1952 he was drafted, and he asked if the students knew what it meant.

"Now the draft is when you got cold feet," he cracked. "Though I went in cold feet, too, going over there."

Carr, grandfather of students Matthew and Nathan Haerbig, was injured while on duty and received the Purple Heart award.

Vice Principal Kay Hayes introduced her daughter Navy Lt. Stephanie Hayes, explaining to students the hardships of not seeing her three children, including a son and another daughter, who are each in the Navy, for the holidays.

Stephanie Hayes has been in the Navy for eight years, including four at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. The surface warfare officer navigates ships in the Navy, and she showed students photos of her travels and experiences, most recently in the Middle East.

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