Adelia Fosu observed Veterans Day in true American spirit — by waving Old Glory. But this Veterans Day held special meaning for the 12-year-old sixth grader at Central Middle School.
Last weekend her father, Francis Fosu, took the naturalization test to become a United States citizen. On Friday, Adelia participated with other CMS students in the Steps Under Stars and Stripes event at the Lawton Fort Sill Veterans Center, where different organizations carry the United States flag around the track for 24 straight hours in honor of Veterans Day. Each group carries the flag for at least one hour.
Adelia, who is from South Africa, said it was the proper way to celebrate her new nationality.
“It feels like a good way to represent my new nationality,” she said after carrying the flag around the pond by the Veterans Center along with about a dozen other students in the CMS Military Child Club.
Adelia said she had never been in an event like Steps Under Stars and Stripes before, though she did once carry her former nation’s flag at a Culture for Creation Day in South Africa.
“I have a new country, and I feel special,” she said. “I’m an African American.”
Adelia has been in Lawton since January, and her father, who has been in the Army for two years, recently returned from a deployment to Iraq. Her mother is a surgeon at Reynolds Hospital. The family moved to Lawton from Maryland and this is Adelia’s first time living on a military post.
Adelia said she joined the Military Child Club where she can share with others who know what it feels like to have parents in the military.
“We share stories about our parents’ adventures,” she said. “I feel like it is a safe place. It’s hard having parents overseas and not seeing them for a long time. Other kids don’t know what that’s like. I talk to my friends about it, but I feel they can’t really connect.”
Being able to connect with other students who have parents in the military is the main goal of the Military Child Clubs in Lawton Public Schools. It gives students an opportunity to relate to students like themselves. On Friday, it gave students at Central Middle School the opportunity to be the first ones to carry United States flags around the track at the Lawton Fort Sill Veterans Center.
Participating in the event is something that Adri’Anna Green, eighth grade, was looking forward to.
“We are walking with the flag to show our respect for veterans. I think we should do it because they fought for our country. We should show respect for them,” said Green, whose father is active duty military and is deployed overseas.
Travis Washington, eighth grader, said before the event that he was proud to be able to participate.
“They risked their lives for us and we need to respect them and show gratitude for them,” Washington said of the veterans.
Before the students walked for an hour around the track, they spent some time visiting with the veterans.
“I got to meet a whole bunch of veterans,” Green said of the visit. “They said they were really happy to see us.”
Not only did the veterans enjoy the visits, they also enjoyed watching the students carry the flag around the track.
“It’s wonderful to see,” said former E7 William Toler as he sat on the gazebo overlooking the pond. In the distance he could see flags fluttering against a clear Oklahoma blue sky as students made their way around the track. “That’s a beautiful sight for the kids to be carrying them and the wind to be blowing. It’s what makes it great — the kids are doing it.”
And if Toler listened closely he could hear the students chant as they made their way around the track.
“Give me an A. Give me an M. Give me an E. Give me an R. Give me an I. Give me a C. Give me an A. What’s it spell? AMERICA!”