The Conklin Kiwanis Club is preparing a special ceremony to honor the high school graduates from throughout the Southern Tier Region who are entering the military upon graduation. This year, “The First to Say Thank You,” will be held on Tuesday, May 24, at 7 p.m. at the Susquehanna Valley (SV) High School in Conklin, N.Y. The public is invited to attend.
This is the fourth year that the Conklin Kiwanis Club has partnered with “Our Community Salutes (OCS)”, a national, non-profit organization created to recognize and honor high school seniors (and their parents) who plan to enlist in the armed services after graduation. The first OCS ceremony was held in southern New Jersey in 2009, and they have now spread across the nation. The inaugural ceremony in the Southern Tier was held in 2013.
Speakers at the ceremony include Roland Doig, superintendent, Susquehanna Valley Central School District; Eugene Clark, national executive director, Our Community Salutes; and Keynote Speaker, Brigadier General Michael C. Swezey, assistant adjutant general – Army, New York National Guard.
The program also features the Susquehanna Valley Music Department, the Color Guard from the Broome County Veterans’ Memorial Association and the John W. Thurston Marine Corps League, Detachment 250 of Binghamton, N.Y., Invocation from Chaplain (Captain) Timothy Miller and a presentation made to the recruits by Broome County Executive Debra A. Preston. Caroline Goggin of WBNG-TV News is the hostess for the evening.
Guests attending the ceremony will be welcomed to the SV Campus by members of the Patriot Guard Riders and the Ancient Continental Fife and Drum Corps. A brief reception will follow the ceremony.
