On November 11, 2024, Brandon School celebrated Veterans Day with a special program that brought students, community members, and veterans together to show their appreciation and respect for all military veterans. While many people contribute to the success of the program, one man has been the driving force behind the program for the past 25 years.
For a quarter of a century, James Otto has dedicated his time, energy, and heart to organizing the Veterans Day program. Every year, he has worked tirelessly to ensure that we come together to honor and remember the sacrifices made by our veterans. This is no small feat. It takes passion, commitment, and an unwavering sense of duty—qualities that perfectly reflect the very spirit of a veteran.
At this year’s event, as we celebrated Veterans Day, we also celebrated 25 years of Jim’s incredible work. It is because of his dedication that our students learn the true meaning of service, sacrifice, and patriotism. Jim has created a tradition that brings together not only veterans but also students, teachers, and families in a shared experience of gratitude and remembrance.
On behalf of everyone present at the event—our veterans, our students, and our entire school community—I expressed our deepest thanks to Jim for his years of service to this program. His efforts have made a lasting impact, and we are all better for it.
Veterans like Jim Otto are heroes, not just for his service in uniform, but for his continued service to our community. We thank him for his leadership, his dedication, and his heart. He has made this day something we all look forward to each year, and we are so grateful for everything he has done.
We look forward to continuing to work with our local legion posts to continue Veterans Day programming next year at Laconia Elementary School.
