JWMS honors vets

The guest speaker was Casey Lehmann, a Rhinelander Swim Club coach and Nicolet College employee. Lehmann joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard during her junior year of high school and attended basic training during the summer between junior and season year.
(Photo by Jeremy Mayo/River News)

Rhinelander’s James Williams Middle School hosted its 54th annual Veterans Day program on Monday, Nov. 11. Eighth-grade students Keyan Karpf and Lola Beach emceed the event, which featured musical selections performed by the JWMS band and choir. The guest speaker was Casey Lehmann, a Rhinelander Swim Club coach and Nicolet College employee. Lehmann joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard during her junior year of high school and attended basic training during the summer between junior and season year. She served in Charlie Company 724th Engineer Battalion (Rhinelander and Tomahawk) for six years and was deployed to Iraq in 2003. Lehmann joined the Guard to help pay for college and to help others, she said. “Like many of you, I had a dream of going to college, but I knew that my parents couldn’t afford to pay for my education. I also wanted to help others. The National Guard was my answer because they gave me tuition assistance to pay for college and the Guard responds to natural disasters and other emergencies, so there was an opportunity to help others,” she explained. Lehmann admitted she did not anticipate being sent overseas, as her unit hadn’t been deployed in 50 years. It was a daunting but fulfilling experience. “The friendships I made with my fellow soldiers were some of the strongest bonds I had ever experienced,” she said. “We relied on each other, and together we accomplished things I never thought possible...I became a better person and learned to appreciate what I had at home.”